Yesterday I received a call from Jack Vincent. He connected to me through my blog and via Twitter. I asked him a few questions online and he decided he wanted to take the time to properly introduce himself. Wow. Shocking. I have to admit that I was first surprised when Jack called, but after chatting with him for a few minutes, I realized that he was just making a human connection. We briefly discussed our work and how we could help each other. Jack clearly understands the importance of relationship building and acted on his desire to make a connection.
A few weeks ago I was emailing a member of my association. In this email exchange she stopped talking about business and said, “How are you?” This wasn’t the typical, “hey, howya doin?” where the person asking doesn’t really care what the answer is. She actually was curious about what was going on in my life. As soon as I realized that she was reaching out, it hit me that I don’t do enough of that. We all lead super busy lives and sometimes we forget to simply take a step back and have a conversation.
Social technology is a gift because it connects us to people in ways that we never imagined. It also us to meet people that we never would have met before. But sometimes, we get caught up in the speed of communication and forget to actually connect. These two encounters served as a reminder to me to slow down and take a little time to add the personal touch. You don’t have to connect with everyone, every day. Instead, try reaching out to a few people at a time and strengthen those relationships, one at a time. A phone call, a lunch date, a handwritten note…all can go a long way.
So how will you make a personal connection today?