Connecting > Networking
Earlier this month, our teaching kitchen hosted a mash-up of two community events: Commonplace Coworking’s monthly “Waffle Wednesday” and Rotary Charities’ quarterly “Connecting with Changemakers.” It was a natural pairing, as each aims to foster cross-pollination and collaboration between socially-minded community professionals in the Grand Traverse region.
The Changemaking-meets-Waffling was a rousing success, and it wasn’t just because the waffles were delicious and the coffee was plentiful (though that definitely didn’t hurt). Events like Connecting with Changemakers and Waffle Wednesday create a welcoming, community-centric environment where authentic conversation and genuine connection are not only likely, but practically guaranteed.
In colloquial terms, events like these are generally coined “networking,” a term that Commonplace’s Executive Director Nick Beasdleston has strong feelings about. Nick recently shared his thoughts on Rotary Charities’ blog, noting the vast difference between traditional networking and events that invite genuine connection. Check out the excerpt below, or enjoy his post in its entirety here!
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“The difference between networking and connecting isn’t just semantics. The former is direct and calculating. It’s based on a transactional mentality: “Let’s move some units!” It has narrowly defined goals and prescriptive outcomes. The watchword of networking often becomes quantity over quality.
Now of course many would protest this as an unfair characterization. But despite the emergence of nouveau networking platitudes, this mentality still dominates. Networking events can be gussied up in shiny, playful trappings. But the fact remains that at the end of the night, you’re still just left with a back pocket crammed with bent business cards and a nagging desire to shower.
By contrast, connecting is about creating an open and honest bond with another human being. Forming connections can sometimes feel asymmetrical in the short term but equitable in the long. It’s about engaging in a shared experience. Often, it’s about bonding over the question, spoken or implied, “What do we want to see, to create, to build together?”
Connecting requires genuine vulnerability. Armor off, arms outstretched. It’s scary.
It’s much easier to keep it all at a polite surface level. Golf. Weather. Weekend plans. Safe. And pointless.
Thankfully, changemakers and social entrepreneurs often eschew this nonsense. They’re wired for connection. They want to get into the real talk. The good, the bad, and ugly. Kendra and I could feel it in the room. It wasn’t just the breakfast carbs or the Higher Grounds coffee. The buzz was there. It was real. It was tangible. And it was beautiful.”
Continue reading here.
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Interested in hosting a connection-building community event at Commongrounds? Inquire here!
