How to Reconnect With Those Outside Our Inner Circle Everyone has gone through their own challenges -- it's time to start rebuilding those relationships.
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During the last two years, we have found creative ways to stay connected with our close friends, colleagues and family. But what about everyone else? Before the pandemic we had professional and personal peripheral connections that we were able to maintain and nurture. We may have interacted with them less, but there were still repeated times we interacted with them on a regular basis. Many of these relationships have fallen off altogether as we have struggled with maintaining the relationships closest to us from a distance. So, is it too late? What can we do to rekindle our other relationships? Here are four tips to help you rebuild those relationships.
1. Be a connector
Schedule an in-person event to bring your connections together. There may be those that are not yet comfortable, but many are craving an opportunity to connect in real life. You can schedule a meal or a fun activity. Keep the group on the smaller side, 15-20 people. This will not only give you an opportunity to reconnect, but also give those in your network a chance to start rebuilding their own networks. Your network will also appreciate and remember that you are the one that brought them together. Be sure to send out a post-event email connecting all attendees as well.
Related: Want to Be Truly Valued? Create Opportunities by Connecting People.
2. Build reconnection into your schedule
With all of us being at home and many not returning to an office at all, there are very few opportunities for chance encounters on the street, at an event or at the water cooler. You may have attended regular trade shows and conferences each year before the pandemic that are still virtual. Put reconnection on your calendar and make it a priority in the same way you would put tasks like going for a run each day or checking emails. For example, start small with setting aside time to make three calls to people you have not been in touch with. Or, have one in-person cup of coffee with someone in your network every Tuesday morning. If reconnection has a priority and consistency on your schedule, that will make it much easier to build back those relationships.
3. Have a reason for reaching out
Often people struggle with a reason they should reach out to someone in their network. They know they should reach out and want to reach out but feel anxious about what they will say. People love being asked to help or offer advice. If you have a project or need you are struggling with, reach out to someone who can help in your network. Another reason to reach out is to express gratitude. We have all heard the expression, absence makes the heart grow fonder. This expression applies to your business relationships as well. As we have distanced from our network during the pandemic, it has allowed us space to really appreciate the value they have brought to our lives. Give someone a call or reach out via email and thank them for the advice or assistance they have provided in the past.
4. Take baby steps
Even the best networkers are out of practice. We forget how to open conversations, close conversations, greet people and interact in person. Even things that were simple pre-pandemic like shaking someone's hand at an event is now uncertain. We do not want those we are interacting with to be uncomfortable. We are also out of practice reading body language and social cues since those are not things we could continue to refine in the virtual space. Be kind to yourself as you re-enter the in-person networking world. Think about the times in your life you have started something new or returned to a hobby you gave up for years. You will not be an expert on day one. But you will improve incrementally.
Related: 7 Communication Skills Every BIZ Experiences Must Master
The beauty of relationships is that we can pick up where we left off. Everyone has gone through their own challenges during the last few years, and we are looking forward to more human connection. Just get out there and take the first step by picking up the phone, buying a ticket to an in-person event or sending an email to set a date to meet up. The benefits are endless. Happy Networking!
Related: 7 Strategies to Stay in Touch
