100 Conversations in August without Zoom Fatigue. What the what?

Hey y'all. At the end of July I launched a project called '100 Conversations in August.'?

I had little expectation going into it. In fact I didn't really think I'd actually hit 100. I mean, it was summer, it was more 'zoom' time, there was no objective for each conversation, just to have it. ?And during those calls, many asked me to share what I learned or discovered over the course of this experiment.?

I'm happy to report that I made it to 100 and throughout I was wonderfully delighted and inspired. Many folks here in my LinkedIn community answered the call and I'm so grateful. So if you were part of it, thank you! And hopefully you received these insights via email last week!

While I'm still working on a more formal piece about the experience, I excited to share some takeaways:?

1. Almost Half of Y'all Used to be Strangers!?45% of the folks I talked to, I. met for the first time on that call. I was stunned! And folks hail from across the U.S. and Europe. I only posted the challenge in three places: LinkedIn + a few LI groups I'm part of, B Corps' internal comms platform called the B Hive, and on the Asynco Mighty Networks platform. The willingness for folks to hop on a call with a stranger and just chat for 30 minutes lifted my spirits in a world that often feels very splintered and siloed.?

2. There were only 3 no shows.?I've been to 'mandatory' work-related calls where more than 3 people don't show up. And the number of actions it took, that y'all took, astounded me. First you had to see the challenge and take the time to consider it, say yes, click the schedule button, find a date and sign up, accept the invite in your calendar, and then actually show up. That's a lot of action.?

3. "We have to catch up sometime...." Actually done.You know the running list of folks you have in the back of your mind that you've been wanting to catch up with? By the time September rolled around, my list had shrunk almost to zero. It was such a low stakes, easy, and short enough blip of time that I got to catch up with those I'd been meaning to, but as we all know the feeling of...never got around to. Gotta tell you, it's a great feeling to actually have those catch ups.?

4. What cool humans y'all are.?Most folks showed up with something they wanted to talk about or questions. A lot of folks are playing with ideas of what they want to be when they grow up and how to create or craft their future into something both professionally and personally fulfilling. Y'all have such cool ideas, vocations, and projects going on or on the horizon. Seriously. It was humbling and an honor to learn about what lights you up. The conversations sparked my own ignition as well.?

5. Themes!?As a trained qualitative researcher, I love a good thematic analysis. Oriented in the lived experience of a phenomenon? Here for it all. day. long. Here are the themes that wove in and out of each conversation:?

• Wayfinding - the old ways are neither satisfying or successful
• Curiosity - a self-selected bunch - y'all were curious as to why in the hell I was doing this, what it would be like, and how you'd feel engaging in this format, especially those I'd not yet met before
• Play - as an essential element of wayfinding, and a valuing of play for play sake.?
• Joy - ?a desire to put the joy back in connection. There was no agenda, no circling back, no deliverable. As one fabulous human put it, "It's like popping down to the pub. You don't know who you'll end up chatting with, but you'll probably have a good time and have heard a decent story."

6. Y'all brave and bold. My kind of people.?Of the folks I'd not yet met, over half expressed that some of the motivation had been to use it as a low-stakes opportunity to "practice sitting in ambiguity" or "growing more comfortable in the unknown." Y'all, my heart swoons. As a learning nerd...that is the?most important skill set of the lifelong learner.?

7. Third Spaces Matter.?Several folks voiced to me on our chat or in a follow up email that they really appreciated the freedom of the third space that these no agenda, not colleagues, no deliverable needed spaces allowed for. They could be more vulnerable, could practice talking about things with low stakes to help with clarity and processing. And I got feedback that folks were energized by the convos. Y'all, this feedback helped me realize that I really love creating and holding these sorts of spaces for folks to practice stepping into their own agency (#nerd).?

8. It's not Zoom fatigue.?This last one is my overall takeaway. I totally thought that I'd suffered video-conferencing-fatigue throughout the past 4 years or so. After a day of zooms, I always felt depleted, a little angry, tired, and unmotivated to do much of anything. On my good days I got myself out for a walk. Sometimes I leaned into the numbness and attached myself to another screen with Netflix.?

?I felt energized after every single one of my 100 zoom-hosted convos in August. I was shocked. It was one of my earliest concerns. A concern that evaporated and I found myself giddy, inspired, invigorated, motivative, creative...dare I say, happy.?

?So it wasn't zoom fatigue. It wasn't 'too much people-ing'. It wasn't too much screen time.?

?It was the conditions placed upon all those previous video calls that dampened my brain and soul.?

?Go figure. When we create and hold spaces without conditionalities for performance, deliverables, agendas, circle backs.... the creativity, ideas, next steps, energy, collaboration all seem to find their way on their own.?

?I hope this recap provides some insights and most of all a nod of gratitude to those who participated Thank you.?

?I'm not done yet. In fact I'm finding myself ready to move beyond just deep curiosity and wanting to create, namely around learning x wayfinding.?

Will you be a thought partner as I move into action with learning x wayfinding???

23 years into a vocation and I find myself beyond a place of deep curiosity and at a point of wanting to create.?

And like all worthwhile things I've ever done, it's better with others.

If you're willing to be a thought partner and follow the journey, sign up.

*the aim is a weekly share, nothing more. There will always be a question I'll ask to elicit thought & engagement.?If time/space/topic don't work for you that week, no worries. Feel free to just observe and respond if/when you feel like it.

No pressure AND if you know anyone in your world who might be interested, could you share this email/link with them??

I'm also doing another challenge! 100 Conversations in Q4. Will you participate?

Find a time here!

Cheers.

In hope, art, and science,?

Beth?