“Yummy” in the metaphorical sense, of course, drawn from ideas curated in our Virtual Networking Incubator.
Once a month, we spotlight a “recipe” from our Matchbox Kitchen outlining a step-by-step guide in creating an engaging virtual experience for your audience. This month is no different… except that we are breaking down a full Cookbook Collection equipped with five valuable and effective recipes curated in our Kitchen all centered around the same goal: Networking.
These recipes were tested in our Virtual Networking Incubator, a cohort of 150+ associations looking to meaningfully connect their communities virtually, which we created in collaboration with Amanda Kaiser of Kaiser Insights LLC. Thanks to the innovative, creative, and fearless individuals who made up our Incubator, we were able to test ranges of platforms to experiment with new ways to network online. What we saw were real results with palpable takeaways. And is it really a successful Matchbox event if we don’t build a recipe out of it for our Kitchen?
So here we are, diving into our great big Cookbook so that you can put our experiments to good use.
“Networking” can fall under several different forms of personal connection, and we’ve got a recipe for each one below. Let’s dig in…
Big Group Networking
Creative Networking
Looking to bring together your community to cultivate that warm and fuzzy virtual “group hug” feeling? That is what we call “Big Group Networking,” which we tested using Piccles. This is a recipe that also stands alone in our Kitchen under our “Recipes: Partner” category, titled Piccled Ice (Breaker)!
The Platform
Piccles is a fabulous virtual engagement tool which allows participants to draw and write on the online equivalent of a whiteboard. Give your audience a meaningful prompt, and what will result is a visual representation of everyone’s minds at work side by side.
Need an Example?
We asked Incubator folks…
We got a whole lot back in ranges of colors, sizes, and approaches. The result? A mural containing a myriad of emotions, and each individual holds ownership over a small piece of it.
In a seemingly simple, easy activity, each individual of your community can feel like they are an important part of a whole – a quite beautiful “whole,” which wouldn’t be quite the same without them.
Small-Group Problem Solving Networking
Small groups, big ideas
One of the most effective ways to spark connections and bring people together is through the venture of problem solving alongside one another. This recipe, which we tested out using Circl.es, gives tools ideal for smaller group problem solving sessions which naturally build connections among participants.
The Platform
Circl.es is an interactive platform which lends itself to meaningful collaboration. With all participants’ video displays filed into a literal circle, along with interactive and conversational functionalities, floating in a circles room gives subconscious warmth and flare to whatever task is at hand. We have continued to use Circl.es in our internal Matchbox meetings!
We love utilizing Circl.es, but you can feel free to use whichever platform you’d like. All you have to prepare are some structured questions which guide your purpose, as well as establishing a moderator.
Optional “Spices”
- Consider pairing this recipe to follow a dish created with one of our icebreaker recipes located under “Recipes: Games” in the Kitchen. Doing so may aid in warming up participants who may be introverted or nervous to share their ideas.
- Establish a note-taker to ensure new ideas aren’t forgotten. Bonus points if you create an eBook afterward containing some of those juicy ideas!
With only a few simple preparation steps, participants may enter the virtual room as strangers, but will surely leave feeling familiar with the group they’ve just bonded with.
1-to-1 Networking
Close Connections
When you think of “networking,” the first thing that comes to mind is most likely 1-to-1 connection building. It can also be one of the most intimidating types of connections to make, especially for those who are introverted or have social anxiety, which is a lot of us! So what can solve for the anxiety so many of us attach to this kind of networking?
In our experience, two things:
- Guided intentionality
- A riveting platform
When testing this recipe with our Incubator, we used the tool Gatheround.
The Platform
Gatheround is a vibrant, interactive tool that can automatically match pairs together, which lends itself beautifully to 1-to-1 interaction! Easy facilitation, and seamless participation. Although we loved using Gatheround as a platform, others you may be interested in exploring include Twine, RunTheWorld, and Blitzer, which possess similar tools.
The only preparation on your part to ensure the success of these 1-to-1 conversations is creating a list of questions, which could range from silly surface level icebreaker questions to more meaningful questions relating to your organization’s purpose. Within the recipe you can check out our “Sample Bites” containing suggestions on great questions to prepare for this activity.
Optional “Spices”
- If you’re unsure of what questions to build for your community… why not ask them? Prior to the event, ask your community members what they want to know about each other. What better way to know what may peak their interest than asking them what may peak their interest?!
- Add a virtual photo booth for some fun memories! (See recipe for photo booth platform suggestions)
- Pair participants strategically based on their roles in your organization – common challenges to solve for, ranging areas of expertise, etc.
- Prepare a question designed for pairs to exchange contact information! Clever, right? 😉 Help out your participants who may be too intimidated to ask their partner for a Linkedin, email address, phone number, or Social Media handle upfront.
This activity seems super simple – because it is! All it takes is some structured intentionality, and even your most shy, socially anxious participants will leave with a new connection, and maybe even a new friend.
Autonomous Movement Networking
Virtual Mingling
So, you’re at an in-person event in a room with five tables. Throughout a networking session you circle around to all five tables in order to jump in and out of different conversations, spreading your reach and getting a sense of the room as a whole. This is what we call “autonomous movement networking”! On your typical video chat platform, it may seem impossible to replicate. What we found by using Wonder is that it’s not impossible.
The Platform
Wonder is a platform designed for ease of movement. Once you enter the virtual “room,” you have the ability to move your avatar in order to migrate and join different conversations.
That’s where your preparation comes in – all you have to do for this activity is establish a moderator and create a structure of conversation topics relevant to your audience alongside a few guided questions. On the day of, encourage participants to roam as they please between conversations and watch the magic ensue!
Scavenger Hunt
Sound Familiar?
Our Scavenger Hunt recipe also stands on its own in the Kitchen, which you may already know from the article we posted a few weeks ago with a deep dive into its purposes, benefits, and facilitation needs.
Since we’ve written about our Scavenger Hunt recipe before, we won’t dive in too much except to say – this form of networking is fun, effective, and will have your participants itching to participate in the next one.
Read more below!
But wait, we have more…
All five of the above recipes were Matchbox curated (many alongside Amanda Kaiser) and tested in our Incubator. But if you keep scrolling through our Cookbook, you’ll notice we have an entirely independent set of recipes curated directly by our Incubator superstars! Through a brainstorming session which we call a Design Session, our community came up with the following recipes for meaningful connection building:
- Waddya Know, Waddya Need?
- 5 Whys
- Online Dating
- Master Minds
- Horror Story
Download our Cookbook, and check ‘em out!
Want to be a part of our next collection?
Our Virtual Networking Incubator series was only the first of many, and we’ve got our next Incubator series coming up. Learn about our upcoming Sponsor Value Incubator and how you can get involved!
Click the button below to be notified when it’s time to join our next Incubator!
To see what we’ve got cookin’ on the regular, subscribe to our bi-weekly Kitchen Newsletter! There, we share juicy ideas fresh off the grill, introduce some of our most creative Kitchen staff, and offer invitations to exclusive virtual brainstorming sessions.
