Whether you are a recent arrival to a new area or you find yourself wanting a more vibrant network, building a community is the way to go. In this post, we will outline 7 key steps to building a vibrant community right where you are.
Seven Simple Steps to Build a Community
- Listen
- Ask questions
- Show up
- Repeat steps 1-3
- Reach out
- Fill the gaps
- Repeats steps 1-6 to stay plugged in and up to date
Listen
Before you can build something new, you need to first know what already is. Listen to the conversations around you. Go to the meetings and listen to the concerns that are being raised again and again. Keep your ear to the ground and listen. This way, you can learn as much as possible about the people you hope to bring into your community.
Ask questions
Dig beyond the surface-level observations and ask insightful questions. It’ll achieve two goals, teaching you about a topic you want to know more about and teaching you about the person you are asking the question to. Asking questions is also a soft introduction of you to those around you. So be sure to ask perceptive questions and not repetitive ones. Use your questions to show you have been listening.
Show Up
No one likes a friend who also asks for favors but never returns them. It is always great to have a genuine interest in an event or function, it’ll make it more enjoyable for you and likely those you interact with. It is equally helpful to, not only be seen as someone involved and active, but to actually be someone involved and active. So, attend the functions, volunteer at the event, and get involved in the activities already happening. Little by little you’ll meet your people and slowly develop a name for yourself.
Repeat
Keep repeating that cycle until you get a grasp on the location and the culture, and start to find kindred spirits.
Reach out
Likely the scariest part if you are an introvert like me, but we can’t always wait for someone else to make the first move. So make the brunch of interesting people you’ve met. Share the cool event that you think your new acquaintance might like. That person you had a great conversation with and said, “Wow we should hang out again”, actually initiated it. Sometimes we get caught up in our schedules, but you’d be surprised how receptive people are to following up after a genuine connection. So take the plunge, and reach out! Just be sure to keep listening and asking questions along the way.
Fill the gaps
If you’ve executed this far, you have probably learned a lot about the city and community you are in. You’ve learned a bit about what people do and what people feel is missing. That’s where you come in. Find the common problem or area that is lacking that you’ve been hearing about and see how you can help solve it. And it doesn’t need to be a huge problem you fix. It can be as simple as connecting folks looking for a running partner or coffee shop hunting. Find the gap that resonates most with your background and interest and fill it to your bandwidth’s content. This gives your new community a clear anchor and common ground to build from. Plus, whether it’s three people or 300, you know you all are making a difference to those who care most.
Final Step - Repeat Again and Again
Keeping a fresh and viable community is an ongoing process. Just like you can't plant a seed in a pot and never tend to it again while expecting fruit, you can't make a community that will last without nurturing it, listening, asking questions, and showing up again and again.
Though it may sound like a lot of work, intentionally building a vibrant community provides an unlimited ROI, enriching your life and the lives of those you interact with. Plus, as the age-old wisdom goes, we humans were meant to do life together.
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Want to see community building in action? Join us on February 29, 2024, for our very first Community Mixer. What’s the gap we want to fill? Feeling disconnected. So come out and enjoy cool vibes, new people, and a couple of fun surprises at The Shop on MLK. The cost is ‘pay what you like’, the suggested ticket is $5. Hope to see you there. Let’s get connected!
