What Kind of Conversations Are You Enabling?
Monday, November 30, 2009 | Add a Comment
Tags: conversational listening, engage online, Listening, social brand, social media engagement, social media goals
Posted in: Listening, Social Media
This past month, we have discussed how to get started in social media because the conversations about your organization, brand, industry, and competitors is happening with or without you. It all comes down to the choice of participation. But when you choose to engage, how are you enabling the conversation? How are your conversations being perceived?
Radian6 Guest Blogger, Rachel Happe, compared online communities to dinner parties to illustrate the idea of how the environment needs to be set to foster natural dialog. Let’s delve a bit deeper in how to start an online conversation effortlessly and begin building mutually beneficial relationships.
What is your goal?
Jumping into social media conversation may be a bit daunting at first. When you monitor and listen to the conversations about your organization, brand, industry and competitors before you engage in online discussions, you will have a better feel for who is talking and why they are having these conversations. When you decide to engage online, begin participating in discussions that interest you the most or about topics you feel most comfortable addressing. Granted, this does not mean you put on rose-colored glasses and ignore the other conversations, but this first step will help build your confidence and hopefully spur additional engagement.
To achieve authentic conversations, it is best to engage in social media with the overarching mantra of, participate through contribution and not promotion. Think about what type of value you are adding to the discussion and how you can build on social capital individually by improving each other’s knowledge capital collaboratively.
What makes a great discussion?
Think back on your liveliest conversations…what made them so? Passion, for starters. Empower your organization to engage in the topics they are both excited and knowledgeable about. In order to make a conversation interesting, those participating in the dialog must be also interesting. In allowing people to take off their corporate masks and speak with personality will attract much more dialog and nurture the comfort level needed to share stories.
Welcome newcomers, thank contributors, and be a good listener.We connect to each other through our own experiences. Do not monopolize the conversation to be exclusively about your organization, but encourage the sharing of stories. Provide a way for people to connect with other people in similar situations. Catalyze, facilitate and nurture healthy discussions — and get out of the way!
What is model behavior?
Conversations cannot be manufactured, but you have the ability to create the necessary conditions to enable successful dialog. Even if you find it extremely difficult, always strive to be kind and courteous online, just as you would in offline conversations. Remember that both civility and nastiness are contagious. Be authentic from the head, heart and gut and you will find your confidence will grow.
Learn to master patience and avoid emotional responses. Do not feel you must shoulder the burden of response. This is why engagement should be an organization-wide responsibility and why building external relationships is so valuable! When you have an issue, consider bringing the situation to the community and asking for their opinions and guidance. This will definitely enable some dialog.
Most importantly, have fun. Yes, the conversations we are having may take serious tones, but demonstrate it’s okay to experiment and that behind every organization and brand are individuals just like them.
