LET’S BE FWENDS ISSUE #81:
ON CONNECTIONS
“Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another.”
~ Homer, The Iliad
In the previous two issues, we dove into the topic of conversation. I ventured the thought that everything you do is an invitation for a conversation.
This issue focusses on the idea of “connection”, and what it means to be connected - to yourself, and to others.
I miss my Bar
A lot of this stuff is cropping up.Is it useful? Honestly, I don’t think so. I actually tried it during an informal, social group call at work, and it was more distracting than anything else. But judging these things on their utility would be missing the point - the simple fact that they exist and draw our attention is a sign that we’re - in various degrees - desperate for our “old” lifes.
Workshops for engaging Stakeholders
We’ve already covered the topic of stakeholder communication. Let’s dive deeper into the question how to successfully engage your stakeholders to your work and your team with workshop ideas for stakeholder engagement. Nothing connects more than work you’ve done together.
Being Alonely
Does having a connection imply some kind of presence? Is it the same thing? Or do we sometimes require non-presence to connect?
Do we need to be lonely from time to time?
I don’t know about you, but I do. Currently, our Covid-19 routine allows for roughly 15 minutes a day “alone time” for me, which is very taxing. I love my family, and I love my work, but I need to spend time with me alone like I need oxygen, and 15 minutes of breathing each day is not quite as much as I’d prefer.
More Resources on Remote
Talking about remote: Increment did a great issue on it that’s well worth checking out. The challenge when working in distributed organisations is not how to communicate (if any, it would be how to communicate less). It’s how to create connection with communication tools that were designed to transport information, not create connection or convey meaning. Modern communication systems, technologies, techniques and styles are so bad at creating connection, it’s almost laughable.
Meditating over Zoom
Or not.
Here’s a great story about a group of Zen buddhists successfully using Zoom for group meditations.
Would you give yourself electric shocks, just to avoid boredom?
Because many people would. Boredom seems to be so unpleasant that we try to avoid it at all cost. Our minds are so repulsed by the idea of being bored, that they would literally do anything (even doomscrolling on Instagram while sitting on the toilet) to avoid it. But maybe boredom is just the flip side of fascination, an agent of change that lets us question the way we spend our time? Then we shouldn’t run away from it, but embrace it.
Communication without Connection
Can there be communication without connection? Yes, and it’s more prevalent then we think, I think. Here’s a tongue-in-cheek example: Unfortunately.io gives Venture Capitalist automatically generated emails that explain that while they really think that Startup has a great idea, unfortunately, they will not invest in it.
Here’s what it told me about my pitch:
_Hi(Founder name), I wanted to circle back quickly to be respectful of your fundraising process. We want to be transparent. You have undeniable creative horsepower, but unfortunately, we don’t know enough about your space.
I’d love to reconnect in a few months. Best of luck with the round. Here’s a Medium article we wrote that might be helpful.
Warmly, (Your name)_
Chains are great for Connections
One of cyclings many obsessions are chains. You’re supposed to take pictures of your bike only from the side where the chain shows. Your chain should be clean. Like - really clean. The rest of your bike might be covered in filth, but if your chain is clean, your whole bike is considered clean. If you aren’t a cyclist - apologies. This introduction might not have engaged you as it could have. In any case - cyclist or not - here’s a great introduction video into what chains are, how they work, and what practical things you can do with them.
Connections are the worst thing to debug
That is true for humans, and it is certainly true for computers.
Who ever had network troubles knows.Communication is nothing without connection. Building connections might not be easy, but it’s definitely worth the effort. 🌁
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