Hi Koos Thanks for sharing your ideas on networking. I like the words you have used to describe what it takes to build a network.
I have written some ideas (in Swedish) about the use of OST for networking. I have used the name Open Space workshop about halfday OST events aiming at networking and sharing of ideas. So far I did not think about (or have requests of) making it as open as yours. I like your idea because there will occur meetings around topics with people who (maybe)never would have met it the theme was specified (e g golfswinging:)). The downside is that you have to find a way to inspire people to come. One of my (or my customers) main challange is usually to find an attracting theme. I guess those invited have to trust you/the organization inviting or the OST process enough to come. I would love to come! We do have spring coming in here as well. Today we have 16 degress Celsius (warmest day this year!). Cheers to you Thomas > -----Ursprungligt meddelande----- > Från: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu]För Koos de Heer > Skickat: den 2 april 2002 14:25 > Till: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > Ämne: using OST for networking > > > Dear All, > > Last week, I wrote an email to a prospective client about the > possible use > of Open Space for a networking event. I liked the way the > email came out, > so I decided to share it with you. Any comments are highly > appreciated and > of course you are welcome to use this if you like it. > > > The starting point of my thinking around networking is that networking > solely for the sake of networking is not working. Imagine an > unknown person > calling you on the phone and asking: "How about some > networking tomnorrow > night?" Your first reaction will most likely be something > like: "Why, about > what, what for?". While on the other hand you probably will find it > interesting when someone invites you to a meeting with a topic that is > close to your heart and where there is also the opportunity > for networking. > > Networking takes time and the building of trust. And trust > building happens > around topics that are close to your heart. The idea that > playing golf is > good for networking is true only if you really like playing > golf. If you > are walking along the golf course feeling lousy and thinking > to yourself: > "What am I doing here anyway?" chances are you won't make > many new friends. > > This is why a networking event has to offer the opportunity > for people to > find each other based on those topics they really want to > spend time on. > Those could be work-related topics, but they could also be in > any other > area. Networking takes time and the willingness to take the > long route. I > have met very interesting people at organized hikes, at the > swimming pool, > through maintaining the community garden, by being a board > member of an > organization etc. > > Another important aspect of networking is the idea of giving > and taking. > Any network thrives on giving. If you keep asking yourself in every > conversation that you have: "What's in it for me?", chances are your > network is not going to work very well for you. People feel much more > attracted to someone who clearly enjoys life and is willing > to share, than > to a bookkeeper with a stingy look on his face. It is therefore very > important that people come to a networking event with the > willingness to > contribute. The opportunity to give a presentation about your > company is > nice, but in my opinion it is too much aimed at taking (I > want you to buy > my stuff!) and not enough at giving (What can I contribute to this > network?). Like Ivan Misner (founder of BNI and author of Masters of > Networking) says: networking is more like farming than like hunting. > > The success of a networking event depends largely on the way > in which the > participants are encouraged to get to know each other. It will only be > successful if this is based on those topics that are close to > their heart > and that they want to take some responsibility for. The bad > news is, of > course, that it is very difficult to determine ahead of time > who is going > to come and which topics have to be put on the agenda for > those people. The > good news is that it is not necessary to do it that way. > > The technology that I want to use needs little preparation > and at the start > enables people to create exactly the agenda that is right for > them at that > moment. After the first plenary session, everybody spreads > out over the > different break out groups that are created for each agenda > item. Because > people only take part in those discussions that they really > want to, you'll > always have the right people together: people with a shared > interest. And > because everybody can raise their own topic(s), there is > always something > interesting for everyone. Including talking about your work > if that is what > you want to do. > > > (And then there's one more paragraph about the origins of Open Space > Technology.I'll save the bandwith for that, trusting you can > fill in that > part for yourself ;-) > > Best wishes from beautiful, warm, sunny Springtime Holland > > Koos > > > > Koos de Heer > Auryn management advies BV > Utrecht, the Netherlands > mailto:koos...@auryn.nl > http://www.auryn.nl/ > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
