(Newswire.net — August 12, 2023) — Most of us understand that coworking spaces are ideal for businesses that want to save money and individuals who don’t want to feel trapped working from home. But did you know that coworking spaces are also ideal for networking?
The Basics of Coworking Spaces
Coworking spaces come in many shapes and sizes, with different physical layouts, varying access to resources, and different rules and limitations. But most of them have similar foundational elements. In most coworking spaces, you’ll pay a monthly or annual fee for a given level of access; depending on your level, you might get access to an open space that you share with other people, a dedicated office, a meeting room, and various office staples like access to a kitchen, access to the internet and other technologies, and access to a break room.
Within the parameters of your agreement, you can essentially do whatever you want. Depending on your arrangement, that might mean using the coworking space for your personal work every day, only utilizing the space for important meetings on an occasional basis, or something in between.
The Value of Networking
It’s hard to overstate just how valuable professional networking is for the average person. The act of building up a network of contacts can introduce you to:
- New connections. The obvious benefit here is new connections. When you meet new people from different walks of life, you can build new relationships and gain access to far more resources. Depending on what you’re looking for, that could mean finding new employees, new partners, new investors, or even new clients.
- Diversity of thought. Diversity of thought is the concept that different people from different backgrounds have different ideas and different ways of seeing the world. Even if you’re only meeting new people on a short-term basis, you’ll get exposed to a litany of different perspectives and ideas. It can help you think in a more critical, creative way.
- Social and health benefits. Even you introverts out there are social creatures. We all need regular interactions with other people to remain healthy and maintain our sense of well-being. Networking professionally may not have the same level of intimacy as dating or having dinner with your family, but it can be valuable for your health.
Why Coworking Spaces Are So Uniquely Advantageous for Networking
Why should you go to a coworking space for your networking needs?
There are several unique advantages of coworking spaces, including:
- Like-minded professionals. If you’re thinking about going to a coworking space, imagine all the people similar to you who are already full-time members. This is the perfect opportunity to meet like-minded professionals, who are similarly eager to develop their careers or build their businesses.
- Familiar and new faces. In a coworking space, you’re likely to see many of the same people every day, and you’re simultaneously likely to see new people on a daily basis. Both these elements are conducive to strong networking; seeing people over and over allows you to build strong relationships while meeting new people introduces you to new areas of business.
- Casual, natural interactions. Many people appreciate coworking spaces because they lend themselves to casual, natural interactions. Instead of being awkwardly forced together in a networking event or going out of your way to make small talk with a total stranger, working together in a shared environment is more comfortable and naturally conducive to conversation.
- Inexpensive access. Traditional networking can be expensive, especially if you’re going to the biggest networking events in your city regularly. In contrast, coworking spaces are cheap, and they come with tons of other benefits.
How to Make the Most of Coworking Spaces for Networking
These are some of the ways that you can make the most of using your coworking space for networking:
- Choose the right space. Not all coworking spaces are equally valuable for networking. Large, open spaces tend to host more people and facilitate smoother, more natural interactions.
- Visit regularly. If you want to build stronger relationships and see more people in total, make sure you attend your coworking space regularly, and preferably on a daily basis.
- Evaluate openness. Not everyone in the coworking space is going to be as excited to network as you are; accordingly, you should always evaluate the openness of a person before approaching them. If they have headphones in and they seem focused on their work, don’t interrupt them. If their body language is open and they don’t seem busy, introduce yourself.
- Be open and friendly. On the other end of this dynamic, you should be as open and friendly as possible. Make eye contact and smile at people when you see them, and maintain an open posture to invite more people to interact with you.
- Give before taking. A cardinal rule of networking is to give before taking; in other words, try to provide value to other people before you ask them to give value to you. Even small favors count here.
- Follow up. Always make sure to follow up with your new contacts. Your network is at its strongest when you’re top of mind with everybody.
Even if networking isn’t your top priority, becoming a member of a coworking space can be advantageous for your career development. Research the coworking spaces near you to see if you can find a perfect fit for your needs.