Everything we do is focused around our community, we do it to strengthen it, to expand, to maintain, because without our communities we would not exist.
Communities are important because the loneliness exists.
Did you know that being lonely and being alone is not the same thing?
Being alone is a state of being, while loneliness is a feeling. We can be perfectly happy being by ourselves, but we can also be lonely even if we’re with a group of people. So, whether you like it or not, communities are indeed the most important social units in our lives. We can´t thrive in life without good relationships. And this is why communities matter and they always will be as the sense of belonging is a part of us.
Alright, so these are the main reasons why communities matter. But now, let’s focus on business communities. It might be challenging to have a healthy community around your business since the business world is full of ongoing competition. However, having a healthy and strong community means a competitive advantage in many cases. There are various cases why companies invest in building a community, let’s name a couple of them:
- Relevant feedback – if you form a healthy community, the members of it will most likely give relevant and honest feedback filled with insights on how you could improve your product or service because they genuinely care about it.
- Retention – vibrant communities bring people together. They’re filled with opportunities for civic engagement and social interaction. Those people who are engaged in a community (invest extra time to strengthen the connection within the organization) are more likely to become long-term customers.
Now we know that communities are so important, it’s time for some tips on how to engage and learn to form your community even if you are an introvert ( just try this out 😉 )
The Dale Carnegie approach - let's cultivate the curiosity
All of these techniques are tested and true, but they won’t really work without one simple quality on the interviewer’s part: that is curiosity.
A true passion for learning more about those around you goes further than any trick or even the most polished communication skills. Gay Tales is a legendary founder of literary journalism.
“I used to wander around. I never knew exactly what I was looking for. I knew vaguely what I hoped to find or I had some rough idea, but I was in the exploratory mode all the time … Just go out and discover and you’ll find by chance, by accident some terrific stories, some terrific people you never thought you would meet.”
You can evoke your curiosity in your daily life by noticing more details even in the smallest things, diving deeply into the ideas that catches your interest and being aware to those around you and what makes them light up.
According to Dale the beauty of curiosity is that it makes you nearly irresistible to everything around you. Therefore, you can make a lot of new connections by simply becoming interested in people around you instead of trying to get other people become interested in you.
Now let's talk ego. It needs suspension - the power of forgetting yourself.
FACTS. It is healthy sometimes.
Of course we would all like to think of ourselves as curious, attentive, always alert about the world that surrounds us, but one tiny thing gets in the way: our egos.
That is the reason why the ego suspension is essential to foster the curiosity that let’s you connect with others. A lot of times when individuals are participating in a conversation, each of them is patiently waiting for the other to be done with the story he/she is telling at the time. And often we think that we are good listeners, but to figure out if you really are and to improve explore our previous blog “How To Become A Better Listener”. Shortly after you performed your “listening ritual” the story from other person follows, sometimes the story might be even improved to overcome the story from the other person – and that is where our egos plays a big role. But individuals that practices ego suspension would share the encouragement to the other to talk about his or her story, when neglecting their own wish to tell what’s in their mind is a great story.
So at the upcoming community gathering at Twostay try to stay back from telling that story that always get’s the attention, but instead try to engage while asking questions about the stories coming from the individuals that surrounds you at the time. It might feel unfulfilling for some time, but you will be surprised about the end result, so be patient it will come! 🙂
Finally, investing in communities just creates better places to live.
Vibrant communities creates more places to go and more opportunities for socialization. There’s constantly something going on: a small gathering, a lunch, a mini community project, art fair, a fun run… There’s a distinctive sense of place and character. People care about each other and look out for the well – being of everyone. Who wouldn’t want to be in a community that “gets” this?
You might also want to have a look at: “6 Wonderful Reasons why Coworking Spaces are great for Community Building”
