A tool to meet your Linkedin network: the "get-to-know"

LinkedIn is a great tool, and for many of us is more than just a professional tool, it’s a way to connect with others. Thus, a while ago I asked myself how to make real all these avatars, the general sense of the question has been in my mind for a while until I’ve focused on the crucial point: how might we humanise our LinkedIn network?

Then, boom, I’ve got the intuition! The “get-to-know”, and I’ve defined this simple tool aiming to know the people that connect with me on this platform.

What is a get-to-know? It’s the connection in real life through a 30’ video call that connects you with like-minded people, it’s the first touchpoint to move from digital to real, to make interactions meaningful. Every time that I receive a Linkedin request, I always welcome people with a message. Then I propose the get-to-know, and when I introduce it, most people react extremely positively! This surprises me every time.

Furthermore, it’s crucial to twist the one-time action into a habit, so leveraging a single effort to a periodical over-time activity. That’s why during the very busy periods, I try to schedule at least one call per month, alternatively, even one per week when I can squeeze things, and I often do it during lunchtime.

Not all of us are working in big cities which offer a design community, and not everyone is part of a design agency/company surrounded by likeminded people. Many other designers are working in those famous “silos”, others are part of traditional corporates in a 2-people design department, some others are in geographical locations where the design culture has not reached a mature level yet. All of these designers feel isolated but still, they fight for their passion. Each of us has a “why”, has a reason for doing it.

I do it because I’m curious, I want to know more about everything. I want to know people deeply. I love listening to people’s stories and learn by getting their perspectives. It opens to so many different views that I wish to live multiple lives at once. Everyone left me enriched, as Maya Angelou said:

“you might forget what someone said, but you’ll hardly forget how made you feel”.

Through the get-to-know, I’ve been able to talk to people from many countries in the world, from every industry and with the most diverse profiles. They told me their stories, their current role and the path to get there. I’ve got inspirations for my professional and personal life, I’ve heard struggles and trends, wishes and dreams. Furthermore, I’m still in touch with many of them. With some, I also keep in touch on a weekly base because likeminded people are everywhere, and geographical boundaries are a no limit.

I’ve started it naturally, but then I needed some inputs to support and reinforce my concept. I was following Marc Fonteijn’s Service Design Show and I thought that the best value that he gets out of the show is to talk to so many inspiring people every day. What I’ve liked most is the power of connecting people — which sounds a bit like the old but gold Nokia’s slogan — on a human level, not just for public relations. At this point, I’ve clarified what to really search in those conversations.

And then came an article from the IDEO’s fellows “Why You Should Make a Habit of Talking to Strangers”. It touched me because it unveils the potential of human connections, which is what the technology should drive most: make people interact with each other. To quote William Butler Yeats:

“There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met.”

Now, let’s set the basics for your next step. How can you start a get-to-know?

When you connect on LinkedIn with someone who might be a like-minded person, tell about this article and propose the first round. Once you guys get aligned, don’t make it complicated, but set it easy: send a Doodle with alternatives of time slots. On the fixed date and time, you two connect on a video call. Very often you are not done in 30 min, and that’s good, wrap it up and keep in touch for the second round.

My two cents: we are all busy, it often happens that one of the two parts drops out last minute. It’s all fine, and it just gets us closer because we feel the same struggles. Then we can catch up on a non-planned call.

Sometimes it’s just hard to invite everyone, so if we haven’t had a get-to-know yet, let me know your thoughts on this tool, and I’ll be happy to have your first get-to-know.

The last inspiration came from a rap song of Macklemore:

“So when I leave here on this earth, did I take more than I gave?”

As the whole experience started by focusing on myself, I thought that the most significant gift is to share with others the concept itself of the “get-to-know” : a compelling tool to inspire people for interacting with each other, to share thoughts, to initiate human relationships. That’s my give.

Spread the word, connect with people, be human.