Building Community

Whether you still commute into work, or you are working remotely, or are currently on furlough, social distancing has affected all of us. Whether you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert, fostering a community of people you can rely on and that can depend on you is essential to the human experience. Here are some ways to make connections that go beyond meetings, and social media blasts.

Common ground - find online and in-person communities around hobbies you enjoy like reading, gaming, baking, hiking, geocaching, flying drones, planting trees, delivering groceries to shut-ins, zoom dinner parties, etc.

Serving others – consider ways to show those in your life that you value them. Connect with co-workers, neighbors, extended family, baristas, etc. in real conversations where you focus on listening to them instead of just accomplishing tasks. Ask what their current challenges are, and offer where you can to help or support them.

Honoring others time – In our digital world it takes conscious effort to connect deeply online or in-person by giving people our full attention. Visibly putting away other distractions and making eye contact lets people know that they are valued. Listening to understand and asking meaningful questions shows that their feelings and opinions are important to us.

Let's make the effort in 2020 to build community, and be present in positive ways in all our interactions.