The Importance of Connection

Contributing Columnist: Jennifer Ho, Owner of Hangar Studios & United Tribe

Connection is one of the most important aspects of business, and naturally, life in general. Whether you are reaching out to your audience, friends, family, spouse, children or the person at the grocery store, it’s essential to establish a connection. It is a basic, yet profound, human need. The effects of having this relation with people will have amazingly positive impacts for everyone, and all in all, when it comes down to it, we all just want to express ourselves, to be heard and understood.

Here are six tips for creating connection:

1. Be authentic. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. In order to connect with others, they need to know who you truly are and that you are human. Try not to be so formal in your way of being that you create an air of invulnerability. When you are open, they feel safe to be as well.

2. Think about things from others’ perspective. Don’t forget that THEY are human. Everyone (even the people you think are above you) you come into contact with has personal issues that they struggle with. That is a common bond we all share. Whether it’s feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt or fear of (fill in the blank), we all have something that we have struggled with. Learn to remember that when coming into contact with people and you too will feel connected to them.

3. Learn how to mirror. We seem to connect with others that are most like ourselves. Tony Robbins explains this best in this video about The Magic of Rapport. Communication and connection are not only what we say, but how we say it and what our bodies indicate.

4. Create a team environment. It can be comforting to know that you have someone that is in your corner. If you can relate to something they are telling you, let them know by sharing how you feel about it when you go through it without taking over the conversation. This is more about “we” than “I”.

5. Be an active listener. On average, we tend to only grasp only 25–50% of all conversations. This is mainly due to boredom, BSO’s (bright shiny objects) or thinking about something else. Think about the connections we could be making if we listened 100% of the time!

6. Go the extra mile. Send a thank you card or a simple email letting that person know how much they have helped you. Something simple, yet courteous that lets the person know you appreciate them. Find your “extra mile” and become unforgettable.

Next time you come in contact with someone, try using these tips and see what happens.

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”
-Herman Melville

Jennifer is a part of a series of virtual workshop and learning forum called Lead, Women. For more on Lead, Women speakers, please visit www.FB.com/groups/LeadWomen.