Want some other ideas on establishing whuffie and rapport? Here are a few
suggestions:
✓ Ask questions about the other person, listen carefully, and talk about
the other person as much as you can. Be generous without being com-
pulsive about it.
✓ Bringing your whuffie with you to a new community can be difficult if
that group has no knowledge of who you are or what your reputation is,
so draw on your friends — they can promote your authentic reputation.
That helps build trust in you, which is basic to rapport. Aside from that,
here’s another great way to build rapport with a new group: Offer to
speak to them on a topic of common interest.
✓ Dress well. It may sound either silly or obvious, but first impressions do
count. If you and a friend are attending a networking event in which your
friend has a vested interest, make every effort to add to and not dimin-
ish your friend’s own prestige. When in doubt, opt for a professional
look and demeanor and you’ll serve your friend and yourself to your
advantage.
✓ Keep up on the news, especially if it’s related to the community you’re
trying to introduce yourself to. You probably shouldn’t start off trying
to pass yourself off as an expert, but when you know something about
people’s professional lives, they’ll be flattered. The friend you’re with
can probably brief you on a few pertinent subjects beforehand.
✓ Have a great attitude. Be charming and exude enthusiasm, confidence,
and the passionate thought of the charismatic social entrepreneur.
When people see this in you, and your focus remains solidly on them,
you should have little trouble building rapport.
✓ Let others know you care. Find some way, however small, to help who-
ever you’re meeting. Is there some favor that you can do for them? Build
that whuffie — just don’t overdo it. If you’ve been listening closely and
asking the right types of questions, something should suggest itself.
✓ Keep at it. The rapport you establish should not be a one-off deal. You
shouldn’t hesitate to let the people you meet know that you’ve appreci-
ated getting to know them. Exchange business cards and follow up with
a professional and thoughtful “it was great to meet you” e-mail. A hand-
written note would probably make an even better impression.Collaborative Intelligence and
Collaborative Learning
Many people these days give social networking a try either because they
hope it will somehow raise their marketing or public relations profile — or
because they’ve been told they should and they find that they enjoy the fun
and fascination of it all. These motivations have their place, whether you’re a
business entrepreneur or just someone looking for casual leisure, but social
entrepreneurs need to get into social networking because doing so is a great
way to make good use of collaborative intelligence.
Collaborative intelligence — the cumulative problem-solving power of a group
of people working together toward the same goal — can help solve very dif-
ficult, seemingly intractable social problems. Collaborative intelligence is the
result of collaborative learning, the enhanced ability of a group to discover,
absorb, and share information.
Committing to collaborative learning
Social entrepreneurs who commit to collaborative learning through their
social networks find that their profile is, indeed, raised and that they can
have fun and be fascinated along the way along, too.
So how do you start collaboratively learning? To create an atmosphere in your
social enterprise that’s conducive to collaborative learning, keep the following
principles in mind as you go:
✓ Commit to change and enjoy the process of changing.
✓ Recruit diversity of opinion and thought.
✓ Make space for candid, respectful, and thoughtful communication.
✓ Always respect confidentiality.
✓ Value and obtain consensus and respect the role of compromise.
✓ Develop a shared vision and mission with your collaborators.
✓ Aim for clearly identified and doable outcomes, make specific action
plans, and clarify roles