{"id":4077,"date":"2015-02-19T10:00:47","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T10:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/?p=2077"},"modified":"2015-02-19T10:00:47","modified_gmt":"2015-02-19T10:00:47","slug":"8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Wimpy Ways to Boost Community Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Melissa Geissinger,
\nPresident & COO of WIMP<\/a> and General Manager of WIMPspace<\/a><\/p>\n

At WIMP we say \u201cAsk a person, not a search engine.\u201d At WIMPspace our slogan is \u201cCowork. Colearn. Coexist.\u201d Here are some ways that you can host meetups and build a colearning community that impacts more than just your coworkers.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Make them free.
\n<\/b>Don\u2019t create a price barrier that will exclude people from attending and participating. Instead encourage a $5 – 10 donation. You\u2019ll be surprised the amount of money you still get, especially when you have someone at the door to greet your guests as they arrive.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Don\u2019t set up any chairs.
\n<\/b>This may seem like I\u2019m telling you to be lazy and underprepared, but trust me on this one. You\u2019ll notice a massive difference in engagement between people walking into a room where they can sit down and wait for the event to start vs. giving them no excuse but to stand and mingle with other people.<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Make it a potluck.
\n<\/b>When people bring food or drink, they\u2019re bringing a part of themselves. You can get to know a lot about a person by what they bring to a potluck. It also makes the atmosphere more casual and open, and encourages conversation.<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Say \u201cno\u201d to networking.
\n<\/b>We like to call ourselves an \u201cunnetworking\u201d group. It\u2019s not about handing out as many business cards as possible; it\u2019s about building real relationships with real people, business or otherwise.<\/p>\n

5. \u00a0Give your guests the floor.
\n<\/b>Make the time to do a round of introductions before your actual program starts. Encourage people to share their names, what they do and if they are hiring or looking for work; whatever will break the ice and spark those connections that might make a difference in someone\u2019s life or career.<\/p>\n

6. \u00a0Schedule meetups regularly.
\n<\/b>Try to be consistent with the day and time you have events. If members can count on the same day of the same week of every month, for example, it allows them to anticipate when an event will happen even before you have it on the calendar.<\/p>\n

7. \u00a0Make a Facebook group.
\n<\/b>Be a lover or hater of Facebook, it\u2019s the social network we all have in common and the one that\u2019s the least obtrusive to get people to use every day. Turn this into the \u201chome\u201d for your group for the day-to-day interaction of your greater community. This way the folks that don\u2019t need coworking can still get a lot out of the group without needing to be in your space.<\/p>\n

8. \u00a0You don\u2019t need a speaker.
\n<\/b>No speaker? No problem. Pick a topic that\u2019s been hot that month in your Facebook group and open it up to conversation. You can easily facilitate an open-format conversation where everyone will walk away like they\u2019ve learned something as well as contributed.<\/p>\n

Good luck with growing the colearning side of your coworking community! See you at GCUC USA 2015<\/a>!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Melissa Geissinger, President & COO of WIMP and General Manager of WIMPspace At WIMP we say \u201cAsk a person, not a search engine.\u201d At WIMPspace our slogan is \u201cCowork. Colearn. Coexist.\u201d Here are some ways that you can host meetups and build a colearning community that impacts more than just your coworkers. 1. \u00a0Make […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[13,15,81,82],"tags":[134,106,138,139,136,140],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n8 WIMPy Ways to Boost Community Engagement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"8 WIMPy Ways to Boost Community Engagement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Melissa Geissinger, President & COO of WIMP and General Manager of WIMPspace At WIMP we say \u201cAsk a person, not a search engine.\u201d At WIMPspace our slogan is \u201cCowork. Colearn. Coexist.\u201d Here are some ways that you can host meetups and build a colearning community that impacts more than just your coworkers. 1. \u00a0Make […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GCUC USA 2018\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GCUCUSA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-02-19T10:00:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/GCUC-NYC-2018.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"401\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Liz Elam\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GCUCUSA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GCUCUSA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Liz Elam\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/\",\"name\":\"8 WIMPy Ways to Boost Community Engagement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-02-19T10:00:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-02-19T10:00:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c227f1733ffa3fa7fc91695669ca52be\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"8 Wimpy Ways to Boost Community Engagement\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/\",\"name\":\"GCUC USA 2018\",\"description\":\"Super Amazing Worldwide Conference Series for the Coworking Community\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c227f1733ffa3fa7fc91695669ca52be\",\"name\":\"Liz Elam\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6fec19665e482bf6450412eae66f33a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6fec19665e482bf6450412eae66f33a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Liz Elam\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/author\/liz-elam\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"8 WIMPy Ways to Boost Community Engagement","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"8 WIMPy Ways to Boost Community Engagement","og_description":"by Melissa Geissinger, President & COO of WIMP and General Manager of WIMPspace At WIMP we say \u201cAsk a person, not a search engine.\u201d At WIMPspace our slogan is \u201cCowork. Colearn. Coexist.\u201d Here are some ways that you can host meetups and build a colearning community that impacts more than just your coworkers. 1. \u00a0Make […]","og_url":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/","og_site_name":"GCUC USA 2018","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GCUCUSA","article_published_time":"2015-02-19T10:00:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":401,"url":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/GCUC-NYC-2018.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Liz Elam","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@GCUCUSA","twitter_site":"@GCUCUSA","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Liz Elam","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/","url":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/","name":"8 WIMPy Ways to Boost Community Engagement","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-02-19T10:00:47+00:00","dateModified":"2015-02-19T10:00:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c227f1733ffa3fa7fc91695669ca52be"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/8-wimpy-ways-boost-community-engagement\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"8 Wimpy Ways to Boost Community Engagement"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#website","url":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/","name":"GCUC USA 2018","description":"Super Amazing Worldwide Conference Series for the Coworking Community","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c227f1733ffa3fa7fc91695669ca52be","name":"Liz Elam","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6fec19665e482bf6450412eae66f33a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6fec19665e482bf6450412eae66f33a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Liz Elam"},"url":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/author\/liz-elam\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4077"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4077\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gcuclegacysite.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}