What Covid-19 taught me as a Community Builder.
I’m a community builder by nature and trade and let me tell you, community building is relatively easy under “normal” circumstances. You go to events, exchange business cards, and send out a few follow-up Linkedin messages. You throw an event or two, throw in an open bar and some good music and voilà — it’s a given guarantee that people will mingle and leave with a new friend or two. (Okay, I’m kidding. Building and growing a community is not that easy).
But what do you do when you throw in a global pandemic into the mix? This is what happened earlier this year when I saw the daunting headline on the news. And Twitter. And the whole Internet. Covid-19 was here. What is happening? How long will this last?
And at last, a city-wide shutdown in Los Angeles.“We will be working remotely for an unforeseeable amount of time. No more events or group gathering.” Networking events and large conferences were my go-to space to meet potential founders I could recruit into our programs at Grid110 and expand my network. Plus, as an extrovert, events brought out my inner kid at the candy store. As a community builder, what would I do now?
Ironically, in the past, I would always remind the entrepreneurs I worked with at Grid110 of the importance of pivoting and being open to change. Very cool, calm, and collected, I would tell them, “That’s just part of the founder journey. You gotta go with the flow!” Easier said than done, I realized. Suddenly, it was time for me to take my own advice and tackle this “new normal,” the only way I know how to, start-up style! 🔥
Lesson #1
The best practical alternatives for virtual community building. With quarantine, I came to realize that in-person events were not the only way to meet and connect with others. While Zoom may be an obvious go-to for holding meetings, I came across other great (and most importantly, free) platforms to continue building community that I wanted to share.
Icebreaker: If you are tired of zoom-fatigue and continuously having to be “on,” check out Icebreaker. Icebreaker has many thoughtful, interactive games integrated into their platform, where you can connect 1:1 with other attendees. It’s like entertaining video speed dating for professionals. They also have reflective topics and themes, such as a “Power + Privilege” conversation cards or self-care and gratitude topics. 🌱
Hopin: Hopin is an alternative place to host (virtual) conferences. While I haven’t hosted a conference on Hopin yet myself, I’ve attended a few events from other organizations and was positively surprised by the experience. Of course, nothing quite compares to real-life events and the adrenaline of walking into a room full of strangers, but it’s a great alternative.
Lunchclub: If you are seeking quality networking opportunities, check out Lunchclub. Lunchclub makes networking easy by matching you with other professionals with similar interests and goals and automatically sets up a video meeting on your calendar. It’s an easy way to meet other folks in your field and expand your network, one virtual coffee meeting at a time! ☕
Zoom: If you choose to host any meetings on Zoom, I recommend making the most of all the free Zoom features, especially the breakout group feature and polling option. If you are hosting a longer event, make sure you keep the audience engaged by sharing slides or visual presentations. Pause more often than you usually would during an in-person presentation and ask engaging questions to the audience.
ZmURL: ZmURL helps you customize your virtual event page with a cover photo, registration questions, and more. My favorite feature is that you can have all of your upcoming virtual events on one page and send out one link to your community vs. a separate link for each upcoming event.
Tip: If you are hosting a video meeting with a small group (let’s say less than eight people), ask them to unmute themselves to chime in with questions to create an organic discussion. If it’s a larger group, ask them to submit their answers in the chat instead, in order to stay on time.
Lesson #2
We truly thrive in community. The saying, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” rang true for me in the last few months. During times like these, I learned to lean on others and support them in ways that they feel most seen.
A great tool I found myself using was learning about other people’s love languages and adjusting my communication style in conversations. Some people thrive on words of affirmation and will cherish a handwritten card for years, while others will say, “That’s nice” to the same card and toss it in the trash. Learning about love languages does not mean that you should change any core part of yourself like a chameleon; it merely means that you are aware and empathetic in conversations with those around you.
Tip: If you are already fully versed in love languages, you might also want to check out the Enneagram Personality Test. ✨
Lesson #3
Build psychological safety amongst your community, organization, and team.
I recently listened to a phenomenal podcast episode featuring Amy Edmonson, a Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, where she talked about the concept of psychological safety in the workplace. As a former psychology major and Human Resources professional, I took vicarious notes and thoroughly enjoyed this topic.
So what is psychological safety, and why does it matter? Edmonson describes psychological safety as a marker for people feeling and being included in important decisions and feeling a sense of belonging, which is also essential for fostering a sense of trust amongst your community. The reason why belonging matters now more than ever is because quite frankly — we are all experiencing collective trauma.
I heard a quote the other day that perfectly sums up what I have been feeling and observing:
“We are all going through the same storm, but in different boats.” ⛵
Having a strong sense of psychological safety not only strengthens your team and community culture, but per research done by Google, this tends to be the primary and most crucial factor in high-performing teams.
So how can you incorporate a sense of psychological safety in your community? 👇🏼
- Regularly check in with your community members and ask them how they are feeling this week/month. Feelings of anxiety and stress can be quite paralyzing and hard to put into words sometimes, so I recommend asking people to quantify their feelings from a scale of 1–10 and start the conversation from there.
- Invite engagement and ask questions. Be genuinely curious about people and what they can bring to the table. Ask for ideas and different viewpoints. Listen carefully.
- It’s easier for us to speak up when we are 90% or 100% sure that we got the right answer or solution — practice pushing your threshold down over time. Become comfortable with the idea of sharing your thoughts and speaking up. Remind yourself that your voice might make a difference.
Tip: If you want to learn more about this topic, watch this TedTalk by Amy Edmunson.
Lesson #4
Take time off. I can’t emphasize this enough. As community leaders, we spend most of the time giving to others and feel like we are taking on the whole world on certain days. And while the work and our mission are fulfilling and exciting, it can lead to burnout, if you are not too careful.
Just because you are currently working from home and have nowhere to go, does not mean you shouldn’t take some time off to recharge.
Headspace says that you experience the peak positive effects of taking time off on day 8. So in doubt, take more time off than you think you need. You will thank yourself later. ⛱️🌴
During your time off, reconnect with yourself by nurturing old hobbies. Make yourself a homemade breakfast, catch up with an old friend, try out that new recipe on your Pinterest board, and relish in “you” time. You deserve it, you do!
What are the lessons you learned during this quarantine?
Disclaimer: Opinions in this blog are my own and not reflective of Grid110.
