Building a Stronger Network

Strong networks are all about establishing key connections to champion issues. It’s about finding the crew that’s going to help you catalyse that good! When seeking out new contacts, answering the question 'What's in this for both of us?’ is key. Sussing out the person, their organisation, company, or group by doing a little digging online and/or asking lots of questions when you meet up face to face, is important.

Listen hard, as this is the real gold and will help cement that early stage of connection. When the shared value is clear, you can work on supporting each other with insights, impact, and opportunities you both may have to offer. Sometimes the greatest value you have as a community maker is the local relationships you build and the close proximity to the community your work creates. Don’t forget that! 

Then, just like all things good, it takes time to strengthen these connections.

Nurturing your connections means building a relationship. And we have the 5 easiest ways to do this:

1. Send updates – if you get a new project, the opportunity then is about updating your social media or emailing your contacts directly to keep them up-to-date with all your latest. A regular appearance reminds them of what it is you do and why you do it.
2. Send congratulations – everyone enjoys being congratulated, so sending a ‘woohoo!’ when you see that a contact has an accomplishment is a great way to build rapport.
3. Ask questions – don’t be shy, be humble, and use your connections to ask for advice and any questions you think they might be able to answer. 
4. Give something back – asking questions is great, but reciprocity is a beautiful thing (it's like the honey and the bee, you both have something to give here). So don’t be selfish, give back when you can. This can be through sharing articles or resources you’ve found useful or interesting. Or if an opportunity comes up that might not work for you, but could for them, share it. 
5. Take it offline – there is only so much you can do through online networking. In fact, it’s pretty limiting to see the humanity in us through a zoom call. (“Doug, you’re still on mute…Doug! Aargh!”) So, the best way to strengthen and maintain a connection is by taking it offline. Try to organise an in-person coffee date, meet up, or seek out people at an event. Human connection is so much effective at strengthening networks and will top up your feel-good meter too. 

We know it's easy to want to jump right into working with connections, but remember that anything good takes time!

You can help by joining communities where members share problems, tips and information, and work together to create solutions. You can also make this happen by seeking out or being a mentor. Working with a mentor even informally is a great way to build a solid relationship offers you opportunities to work collaboratively.

It can seem super awks, but remember to embrace the uncomfortable! Building a Stronger Network can actually be way less confronting in real life than you think. By refining this skill (and it really is a skill you can learn and practice) you can create a ‘hood that amplifies all the good you are already doing. So go forth and people with those people, people.