Yellowfire Press

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CHAPTER SIX

LEARNING TO LINK
SOME HINTS ON HELPING PEOPLE LEARN TO NETWORK  @

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The Importance of Learning

TWO people in the same room at the same time with similar concerns, won't necessarily network. Helping connections usually occur only when people know how. Since most people have much to learn in this respect, we have a lot of teaching to do to develop effective network partners for ourselves and others. Besides a workshop or other opportunity to learn can be in itself a lure for people, in the launching of a network. Learning can be as informal as conversations or as formal as organized training sessions and structured courses at colleges.

Of course, plenty of learning can occur outside of classrooms, without blackboards, overhead projectors, or other equipment. We hope you'll capitalize on whatever potential encounters for learning do present themselves. Certainly, our learning models should practice what we preach about networking; that is, they should, be participatory and respectful of everyone's ability to contribute something of value in that spirit, a good learning rhythm is brief lecture presenting principles and concepts, followed by rehearsal or practice of these in exercises, followed by feedback discussion.

Beyond such very basic suggestions, we are not trying to make trainers of you in this chapter--at least not until we finish the job on ourselves. In any case, by now you should know how to attract a trainer to your network, if you feel one is needed.

Topics, Timing, and Sequence

What should you cover and in what order? This booklet's table of contents reflects our ideas on that, restated below with a few additions and rewordings.

1) Icebreaker as a simple, fun network process (Guided Conversation #1 or #2, or Walkabout Exchange, for example)
2) Definition of networking and how it can help (Chapter 1)
3) Getting started (Chapter 2)
4) Choosing your network partners (Chapter 3)
5) Methods of networking (Chapter 4)
6) Assuring continuation of a network as needed (Chapter 5)

You'll also want provisions throughout the session and at the end to get feedback from participants on how the learning process is going.

This sequence makes sense to us. Thus, it is often good to begin with a simple illustration of how effective networking can be and then define and justify the process--so we're reasonably sure we're all talking about the same thing. From there on, the flow essentially parallels the usual sequence in a network process; that is, choosing network partners, then applying network methods.

Total workshop time needed depends on factors such as how much previous network experience people have had, how intimate, participatory and individualized the learning situation is, and your learning goals. If thorough familiarity with network concepts and methods is desired, we recommend at least 4-5 hours and up to two full days. If first familiarization will do, 1 – 1 1/2 hours may be enough with emphasis on the first four parts of our six-part sequence--the icebreakers doing double duty as the only exposure to method you'll have time for.

Otherwise, our firmest general suggestion is to use at least 50% of the time practicing methods of developing and maintaining networks. The methods seem to us the crucial part of skill building. One might miss the verbal description of networking and still come to understand it well enough by doing. But having the theory without the practice seems useless to us--or at least not what this guidebook wants to achieve. We trust the elements of how to methods have been well-enough described so that you can now describe them to others. But if you try to go directly from reading to facilitating a rehearsal in a group of other people, you are braver than we are. We always practice a method ourselves before trying to facilitate an exercise for others. Allow ample time for the practice sessions--about twice as long as you think they'll take.

The Table below provides time ranges for some of the main methods. The low side of the range assumes rapid movement mainly to illustrate the process with relatively few participants; the longer estimates allow for more people involvement and/or more intensive experiences with greater understanding and less frustration at being interrupted. They also allow formation of a significant number of actual network connections.

Ordinarily you won't want to overwhelm people with all of these methods (at one session anyhow), but will choose those which seem most appropriate to learners' needs. We suggest you begin with methods which are the best mix of easy and fun, and have the most rapid and visible payoff. You might also take one of these gems for the close of the session, in order to end on an upper.

In the table we've starred (*) the methods which best meet the above-mentioned criteria, though given our enjoyment of networking, we seem to have starred just about every one.

Finally we find it useful to accompany skill-building methods with summary descriptions and handouts, to serve as cue-sheets for later recapture of essentials. That way, too, people don't have to take so many notes during the sessions, and have both-hands free for participating.

Networks themselves are vehicles for learning. Therefore learning to network doubles the enrichment.

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Ivan Scheier
Stillpoint
607 Marr
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, 87901
Tel (505) 894-1340
Email: ivan@zianet.com

For comments and editing suggestions please contact Mary Lou McNatt mlmcnatt@indra.com