"I'd love to connect!"

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You probably hear, see, and admit it- also use this all the time. But do we really mean it? And what can we all do to be more intentional with our connection requests and make the most out of the remote work/learning environment?

In the past year, I realized the sheer amount of time we spend having shallow conversations and maintaining surface-level relationships. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the spontaneous we-passed-each-other-in-the-hallway talk, the casual (sometimes awkward) exchange you have with another person on the Double E - one of the Rutgers buses for those that don’t know, and the chatter of students prior to the start of class. But through social distancing, COVID has forced all of us to be more selective in what or who we invest our time in.
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​Networking and professional relationships should not be any different.

At least, that has certainly been the case for me. For most of the last year, I spent a lot of time isolated - partially because of my introversion but also because of a personal matter (more on that in a later post) - and it gave me the peace and solitude to think about what I really want out of life and my career. 

During this time of self-reflection, I rediscovered my love of learning, the excitement of getting to meet interesting people, and the joy of working on projects that challenge me intellectually and creatively.
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Luckily, the new virtual environment has actually made it easier to #ChatConnectCreate with people. Not convinced? Below are just some of the activities that I’ve been able to experience and grow from:

• Virtual conferences and career fairs
• Workshops and webinars
• Hackathons and design sprints
• LinkedIn lives and Clubhouse chats

Want to see it for yourself? Check out the Chat. Connect. Create. calendar here. I’ve curated various types of events from several hosts and sources that I think the C3 community can benefit from.

Now you may be asking, how can I possibly make deeper connections at massive, virtual experiences? Well, for one, not all of these have thousands or even hundreds of attendees. Personally, I’ve been to sessions that have as little as 6 to 10 people. The more niche or specific an event is, the likelihood that it stays smaller and intimate - so lean into your interests and passions as different and unique as they are!

Then during these events, pay close attention, make your presence known by engaging in the comments, and participate if you can - ask a question or “get up” on stage to share your story if there’s an opportunity to do so.

But if that feels too intimidating, the best way to get to know someone and for them to learn more about you and what you do is to schedule a 1:1 coffee chat.

Inspired by Sparkline’s January networking challenge, I had a total of 23 coffee chats this month. Each of these calls helped me develop personally or professionally in some way. More on how I maintain quality with quantity in another post, but for now I leave you with these simple guidelines:

1. Send notes when you connect: make them personal and specific
2. Be curious, ask questions, and take notes during your call
3. Follow-up: use your conversation as an anchor in your follow-up email to cultivate and maintain the connection

And with that, I’m committed to #ChatConnectCreate more for the rest of the year. How about you?

You can start by reaching out to me here. In your note, let me know if you learned anything new from this or if not new, tell me which of these tips have been working well for you.