People Connections

On the QT Newsletter, People Connections
October 2nd, 2007
Making Connections Activity Sheet.pdf (23K)

Did you know? More than 70% of what people know about their jobs, they learn from everyday interactions with colleagues. As jobs become more complex, people depend more and more on one another to share information, solve problems, and generate new ideas. Who people know and how they work together are just as important as what they know. Consequently, the capacity to develop and cultivate positive personal connections has never been more critical. Students’ ability to make people to people connections can mean the difference between career success and failure. Today’s activity will give students an opportunity to reach out to others and make some connections as they share their strengths and skills. (This activity is based on The Great Strengths Hunt by Amanda Ellis Bohon.)

Do This:

• Distribute the handout Making Connections.
• Ask students to write 3 skills that would make them more successful in college…or in your class. (Example: better time management/ effective writing skills/ proficient Microsoft Office)
• Ask students to write 1 skill or strength they already have. This does not have to be an academic skill. (Example: cooking/ repair cars/ play the drums)
• Divide the students into two groups and have them form concentric circles. Each student should be facing a partner in the other circle with pen, their Making Connections Worksheet, and a notebook or other hard surface to write on.
• Explain that in today’s complex world we have to work together to get things done and that connecting with others drives productivity, innovation and growth. “Being connected” and reaching out to others is really critical for success. Their goal in this exercise is to find at least one person who possesses a strength that they would like to acquire. For each person they talk with they are to fill in a box on their handout. They will have 90 seconds to talk with the person they face and get the information needed. When they hear your signal they will move on to the next person. They will repeat these short interviews until they have talked with 8 people.
• Begin the activity giving the change signal every 90 seconds. This should take about 10 minutes. (Shorten or lengthen to fit your time frame.)
• Debrief the activity by asking questions like: How will you use this information? What did you learn about other students? Why are connections so critical in the workplace?

Want More? Read WSJ article Together We Innovate to learn more about what well connected people contribute in the workplace. And while many believe in the power of the lone genius, see what Sylvia Nasar has to say about Nobel Laureate, John Nash in Fast Company’s, What Makes Beautiful Minds.

Quik Quote: Sprinkled among every walk of life, in other words, are a handful of people with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances. They are Connectors. Malcolm Gladwell