Holiday Parties in 2020 Are Different - But It's Still About Connecting

My conversations these past few weeks have centered a lot around holiday parties. What are they like this year? Will it really matter if I’m part of it? How will I survive another online event?

Holiday gatherings in 2020 are not like ones in the past. And the idea of another Zoom meeting or virtual happy hour can definitely be unappealing.

My best advice? Approach it with the right mindset, I promise it will make all the difference.

Each Connection Has Value and Each Contact Offers Opportunity

Companies are getting creative this year with holiday parties to engage employees who are working from home. Families and friends are coming together online and trying to make the best of an uninvited situation.

Virtual team trivia and scavenger hunts are going on. There are online group cooking classes and gingerbread house contests and at-home movie watch parties. And of course, the all-time favorite ugly sweater competition is still popular – even on Zoom.

And they all provide the chance to bond with others.

Every interaction with colleagues, friends, and family – even if virtual – has the potential to build rapport and strengthen your relationships. It’s still about connecting.

The bottom line is each time you’re in contact with someone, there’s a chance to learn more about them, and vice versa. It offers the possibility to connect on a new level and discover ways you could provide value to them. And guess what, this is networking!

An online holiday gathering isn’t really ideal. But consider the benefits of learning more about your colleagues that you may not have had the opportunity to discover at a traditional party. Or maybe you’re now interacting more with family members you don’t always get to see, because of how far they live from you.

Use it as a reason to reach out to those within your spheres of influence you don’t usually socialize with because it’s difficult to get together in person. Or better yet, reconnect with colleagues and friends you haven’t spoken to in a while.

And after it’s over, keep connecting! Call your trivia teammate who knew all the answers and let them know how impressed you were. Or offer to assist your colleague who wanted baking advice. These conversations can lead to much more down the road, maybe even a long-term friendship.

Be Careful of “Opportunity Isolation”

Now, in-person networking and get-togethers can never be replaced. But you have to play the hand that’s dealt to you. If you don’t, you may fall victim to “opportunity isolation”.

Think of it as out of sight, out of mind. Working from home and our current remote situations, in general, may lead to loneliness and feelings of separation. But you need to adapt and have an open mind when it comes to developing your relationships.

Find ways to stay connected and you’ll stay open to opportunities. And this even applies to your online holiday party. You need to keep yourself out there!

Like they say in real estate, “location, location, location.” Well, the same goes for your relationships.

Each connection you have differs in value. You need to find ways where you can be mutually beneficial to each other. And this creates a domino effect. When you support the success of other individuals, everyone in your networks benefits from it. Which helps people get closer to reaching their goals or improving their life.

So yes, your holiday party is considerably different this year. But try and find ways to make the most of it. As stated by Thomas Dewar: “The mind is like a parachute. It functions best when opened.” It really does come down to your mindset. And hopefully it’ll be something you’ll look back on and laugh over how you bonded with a co-worker over a failed baking attempt or with a friend over a funny trivia moment.