Imagine you are new to a place and everyone around you are already friends with each other. You feel so odd, left out, you would make a mental note that this is the last place you would want to be. Yes, we all have been in such a situation. To be honest, I have at least 10 mental notes as such. But in the course of time, we have become part of groups. If you trace down and see what caused the change, it would always be a one-on-one conversation we had with someone in the group. It may not be a long heart to heart conversation at the start. But a small recognition makes you feel belonged.
And a community is not an exception to having people feeling the same way. A community is always looked at as a mass group. But it is not a mass group without the individual people in it. Each person is valuable and is a potent source that keeps the community alive. A one-on-one conversation can bring out the unique specialties and values of each to light.
If you still have other thoughts, here is why you should have a one-on-one conversation in a community.
What happens in a community?
A lot of instances that happen in a community will make people move away from the community. Below are a few instances we all have been through.
Large number of people, people get lost- Identity crisis
The fact that all people fight for identity also applies to places like communities, where there are hundreds of people, a customer or member is bound to get lost. A lost person has no reason to go to the community in the first place because no one will notice their presence or absence.
People people everywhere, not a person to talk- Lonely
Have you heard people say that there are so many people around, but they still feel lonely? That’s because we humans are social animals, and we long for interactions. That’s why they put prisoners in an isolated jail to make them feel the worst. That’s precisely how a person would feel if he/she has no one to converse with. Not everyone is the same, and that’s why a one-on-one conversation is crucial. When this crucial element is missing, it will make people move away
People want to feel the connection - Want to be heard and valued
We all are superstars in our own pack, but we get lost and insecure in a new crowd. That’s because we are encouraged, heard, and valued in our own pack, and that doesn’t happen most of the time in the new pack. It is not wrong for us to think of moving away from a place where we are nothing. When we are not heard and valued when that is in absence, there is an absence of a connection. With no connection, there is totally no point in being in a place.
No understanding leads to no relationships.
Zero understanding = zero relationships
When the communication bridge is already falling apart, there is no place for a relationship to mend. Do you know why they set up couples for one-on-one talk sessions before and after the wedding? Or before they want a divorce? It is done so that they build a good relationship that mends the bonds between them. With communication comes understanding, with understanding comes relationships, with good relationships, comes trust, and all this, in turn, will lead to a healthy community and a future.
These things in a community are invisible bugs that can corrupt the wholesome joy in your community. And I believe a one-on-one conversation can be the antivirus to suppress the negativity that might spread in your community.
One-on-one conversations have incredible powers with it, which leads to advantages one after the other
# Listing is key
The communication process not always involves talking out but deeply also involves listening, which is underrated most of the time, especially in a community. A member in the community feels best when the brand, organizers, or the peers around hear them. This will encourage people to be actively involved and increase the quality of engagement in a community.
# Feeling of belonging
A person feels wanted and important when valued, which happens when he is listened to by his own peers. Now that this starts happening in a community, he/she feels belonged and as a vital part of a community. This motivates a person to come and contribute. No one wants to spend time and energy on something that they don’t even feel is ‘theirs’.
# Good relationships (Human touch)
Relationships aren't built overnight. Relationships take time to nurture and be held tightly, which can only be done when there is a feeling of oneness. Whenever this feeling covets someone's heart, then a healthy relationship starts to grow between them. Having someone to share thoughts with, to argue with, to support, is all people need in order to feel loved and supported, and when people feed such emotions, they become a part of a relationship.
# Power to contribute (Deep feedback analysis)
Strong relationships allow people to converse and contribute candidly. Confessions like these are what take a relationship to the next level with trust at its core. These relationships produce meaningful feedback for a community. Creating an environment for dialogue with people who would want to connect with each other strengthens the connection between them. One-on-one can also help us understand feedback in depth. Get insights on what they feel is lacking or what they expect and it will give us a picture of getting an organic survey.
# A healthy productive future
All this together is going to lead to a healthy future where conversations are going to be valuable and valued.
One-on-one is not a term anymore to those who have felt its amazing power, it's a life-changing exercise, a good community is one that could set an environment for the members, the more they talk, the more they connect, the more they connect, the more valuable and true is their content. This candid self can take a person and a brand a long way in the future. That’s how we have successfully sculpted our lives all this while and it will work the best for a community too.
A good platform also has a part in creating a safe and belonged space for the community members so make the whole environment healthy so that people don't feel left out.