On Wednesday April 8, 2015, I attended the “Boreas Building Better Communities and Networks Workshop” hosted by Kate Knuth, who is the Program Director of the Boreas Leadership Program. Here is official blurb on the event: “Mentors, collaborators, colleagues, teams, networks. Leaders, by definition, don’t work alone. Working with others helps us get things done. This workshop will focus on why networks matter, why communities matter and why mentors matter. You’ll acquire some tools to help you think through your own relationships and how to make them better. We’re not talking self-help relationship stuff or transactional networking — just figuring out how to help all of us get better at making the world better by working together” (http://boreas.environment.umn.edu/2015/01/07/spring-2015-workshops/).
So how do you network? Good question! As I mentioned at the workshop, most of my networking is between librarians/library workers (who tend to be clicky and bitchy – and just plain weird. I am so not kidding, I could tell you stories) and social media (where you really don’t talk to people face to face, which is good and bad). I did not even think about networking for school (the Phd or MEd programs) or my flying activities, which I guess is because I don’t feel like I network in them. Hmmm, thats kind of weird, but I guess I do network in them on some level. So anyways, I figured that it would be good for me to learning something about communicating and networking, as I am not particularly good at it and always feel kind of dorky when I try. Also the other Boreas workshops have been really interesting and I figured that this one would be as well. I was right, it was interesting.
Some takeaways from the workshop:
-go up to someone you don’t know and want to meet, put out your hand, and introduce yourself. Yes, it will be awkward. Its suppose to be awkward. Also do a little research on that person, so you have something to talk about
-try informational meetings/one on one meetings just to get to know someone
-try acts of mentorship
-mindmapping
-VUE
-try mapping your network (which reminded me a lot of creating family trees)
-after you meet someone in your profession, send them a handwritten thank you card and include your business card! What a great idea! Everyone emails thank you notes, but a handwritten card is more personal and you will standout (I always tell my student workers to mail a thank you card after job interviews, because its all about the personal touch. Plus I always send thank you cards after job interviews). During the workshop Kate had us write a thank you card to someone in our network. It was very fun and she is going to mail them for us. Thanks Kate!
-read Adam Grant’s ‘Give and Take’ – three types of people: givers, matchers, takers