Communities have the ability to connect us, support us, and have been described as “absolutely central to the human experience” by Wellbeing research and governments.
Are you looking to build a community or want to know how to take your passionate group of people to another level?
Discover tips and how you can use digital technology to keep people together, even when they’re not!
Read on…
What is community?
The people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a unit because of their common interests, social group, or nationality- Cambridge dictionary
The term “community” continually evolves based on our environment, access to resources, and also the ever-growing tech that’s available to us. By being involved in an online community, this gives you never-ending access and connection to likeminded people you may have never crossed paths with.
When you think about your daily and weekly routines, how many communities are you in? You may be surprised at how many you belong to. Communities vary but they all have one thing in common;
they offer a sense of unity and purpose for those involved.
The power of community
It has been found that a sense of community offers a safe and open space for your voice to be heard and understood. There’s nothing more powerful than a sense of inclusivity.
Now, more than ever, we need to celebrate communities that bind us, inspire us, and supercharge our sense of purpose.
1) Creating a Sense of Togetherness
Communities are based on building relationships and connecting around shared values. They create a sense of belonging and help to build empathy. These are all characteristics that create the foundations for a community to flourish.
WONDR Tip — Establish an emotional connection
When setting up your profile, make it clear who you are and what you care about — use your bio and spaces to express yourself:
- Who are you? — what are your passions and why are you trying to bring people together?
- Why are you leading a community? — express your passion and share details about why you’re motivated on this particular subject (don’t be scared to be vulnerable)
- Lead, and go first — share something personal and don’t be afraid to be vulnerable about your journey. It helps people ‘connect’ with you on an emotional level and in turn they’ll feel safer to share back with you
2) Vulnerability and Trust is Essential
For communities to flourish, they need to feel supported, appreciated, and acknowledged. People must feel motivated and connect on a highly emotional level around the shared goals.
Especially when online, welcome people, ask questions about their stories and invite them into the conversation.
The better the engagement, the more you are connecting with your audience and the messages are resonating. It also gives the ability for your content to be seen by a wider audience in many cases online.
WONDR Tip — Create opportunities to share and discuss
How you engage, share and communicate are all representative of your values. Live your values.
- Share ideas, capture insights, podcasts, post videos and blogs that reflect the topics you’re mission is centred around
- Share events and get-togethers — get together to discuss in person
- Start polls and ask questions to get people involved — ask the thoughts of your community on trending topics
- Spaces and areas for communication — share ideas and start conversations around key topics of debate
- Create challenges and competitions to turn people to taking action — Beach clean ups, sustainability the home or advocating for CO2 reduction
Are you a community leader already?
Leaders don’t wear capes, swim in their celebrity or seek follower ratings.
They are passionate about their impact and they care for others above themselves.
- Are you always looking to support other people and improve their circumstances?
- Do you care about creating a better, stronger, more fulfilled world?
- Are you someone who takes action without the need to be told to do so?
- Maybe you care about just “giving something a go” in the hope that you can drive change and learn?
If you answered yes to all of the above, then you’re a community leader
By being a community leader you can exercise your leadership skills in a way that works with, not for your community. You’ll listen to a variety of voices and constantly learn, motivate and create positive change. You’ll share the direction of change together and help to lead the path of how to create this change through many ways…
Read on to find out how
How do you motivate your community and drive engagement in the process?
Stand for something- Have a mission statement
Firstly, what do you care about? We all have something that drives us, motivates us, or something to stand for. By having a clear mission statement, you are posing a viewpoint for others to interpret, support or question. Layout the values and guidelines that you’d want your community to follow. This will help target the perfect community member.
Pose a question — What do you think?
A conversation is two way! Make sure to ask a range of questions. This is a great way to understand how your community is feeling, what resonates with them, and a general consensus around a topic.
Work as a team- Collaborating is powerful
Collaborating (working together) has been said to increase productivity and drive innovation. Working with others as equals allows for open conversation, debate, and progression.
Be responsive-maintain consistency
“When the leader is inconsistent, people wait to act.”-Plant services.
How can WONDR help your community reach its potential?
WONDR offers a platform for you to celebrate your community and allow them to network together.
As humans, we are social beings and we stronger when we come together. So, we’ve developed tools to help you collaborate around topics you care about.
Yes, we may have chat tools at our fingertips but we lose control of the conversation and knowledge is lost. WONDR gives you personalised spaces for chatting and sharing.
WONDR was created to support you as a community — to connect likeminded people and to discuss meaningful content and topics. Creating on WONDR is to evoke a response, drive change, or educate.
Learning is a lifelong experience and that’s why Spaces (personal or team areas to collate your sources and ideas) were created. An evergreen creative space for your curiosity around the things you’re learning and discovering.
The conversation doesn’t stop at a couple of posts. WONDR is designed to facilitate life-long learning, and your spaces are a home for your wonderment.
By sharing on WONDR, you’re painting a picture of your community values and empowering them to participate.
Connections are so important to build new relationships and advocate for what you stand for. Your spaces are your “sub-communities” within the larger setting - so there’s endless opportunity to reach people who resonate with you.
WONDR is an online platform and community that connects you with people who share your passions and aspirations. Create Spaces to grow knowledge around the topics you care about and collaborate with others to accelerate action.
Start the conversation today — Sign up. Create. Discuss and grow your community.