Networking in Isolation
Posted on 19/03/2020 by Tiffany Boin
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We are in unknown territory as we navigate our way through uncertainty and isolation.
We have many skills we are pulling on right now to see our way through this period. A couple which come to my mind are empathy, resilience and critical thinking. We need to dig deep and stay positive, be open and adaptable to the changes and allow ourselves to grow through this experience. Self reflection will be valuable during this process to critique and praise our own actions.
An important aspect of human development is the ever important networking. In today's current environment and for the safety of all, events have been closed down, thus our disrupter of networking is born. We now need to develop our networking differently during this period of time. Therefore, no more face to face. Instead it is required to continue to build our relationships through social media, phone, and internet. We lose the ability to pick up body language cues. Instead we need to focus on hearing, listening intently, and reading between the lines. I for one thrive on personal connections, so today’s networking and building relationships via remote platforms is a little foreign to me. How do I show my authentic self through remote platforms?
What I am finding is listening to the pitch in voices when chatting over the phone to help visualise the full picture. You see this easily through body language, however, listening to just voice/tone to uncover the crux of the emotion and unhidden words is a different skill.
My advice on successful remote networking:
- Listen intently
- Pick up tones/pitch of voice and the unsaid words
- Question deeper to understand
- Pause.and give each person space to talk and respond
- Send articles of interest
- Touch base regularly via phone/internet/messages
- Set-up group meetings through Skype/Zoom/Facetime
- Keep building your network via LinkedIn, provide valuable content and information to keep your connections engaged and private message for personal touch
It is so important to keep connected, continue to build relationships, and share stories and knowledge. Let's join together as a worldwide community to ensure we do not lose this. Let this crisis build us stronger and more united than ever.