In order to make sense of the many different networks, types of relationships involved and how to appropriately and effectively communicate with them, I have organised them into groups to highlight the differences and similarities between them.
Colleagues
Professional with an occasional cross over to personal (in this instance, refer to 'friends')
Casual, professional relationship within working hours.
- Conversations - one to one / group
- Meetings - one to one / group
- Informal interaction - use of texting / Facebook conversation and messaging / twitter interaction
- Sharing information - newspaper or magazine articles / website addresses / adverts / posters / leaflets - this can be done in person or via the internet.
Friends
Mainly personal. Informal relationship with an occasional crossover and knowledge about professional life.
- Casual, face to face gatherings - one to one / group
- Web interaction - email / Facebook comments and messaging / Twitter messaging and retweets / Skype video chat and messaging
- Phone - calls / texts voice mails
Parents and Pupils
Professional relationship. A little more informal with the pupils than the parents.
- Communicate with parents via - newsletters / posters / leaflets / word of mouth / notice boards
- Meetings - for pupils / parents / pupils and parents - one to one / group - formal and informal
- Information / question and answer - Facebook posts, conversations, messages / Twitter tweets and retweets/ emails
- Text messages - group / private
- Calls - individual
- Media advertisements and announcements - newspapers / local magazines / radio / television
Family
This is obviously a personal relationship however I am in the unique situation of working with my mum and so I can cross over to professional with her. We manage to balance it really well and I am able to discuss professional issues with her and get an opinion from both a professional and personal perspective.
- Casual getherings - one to one / group
- Informal communication - Facebook comments and messaging / Twitter messages and retweets / Skype video chat and messaging
- Calls and text messaging
Employers
Professional relationship however I work in quite an informal setting so there is a personal element.
- Meetings - one to one / group
- Calls and voicemails
- Text messages - group / individual
- Emails - individual / group
- Notes - post it notes / noticeboards / individual pigeon holes
- Staffroom discussion - professional / personal
Professional Acquaintances
Purely professional - no personal relationship.
- Meetings - courses and training related to work / group and individual meetings with and without pupils - at my work base / their work base / neutral ground i.e. training centre
- Calls using phone number
- Voice mails
- Emails
- Passing messages through colleagues - word of mouth
- Letters to work - addressed to company / addressed to you personally
Having looked through my groups, I have noticed that I have a broad range of networks including both personal, professional and a combination of the two. Within those catagories, I have a variety of ways of interacting within the network depending on the formality and urgency of a situation.
Formal situations:
I have referred to meetings (one on one and group) across several different networks. This is a more formal situation that is often planned in advance by either myself or an employer, colleague or parent. This situation is generally more serious or private.
I have also noted that in formal situations that are not face to face, I have referred to communication via telephone calls, voice mail messages or emails as apposed to using text messages or social network website conversations as this is generally seen to be more professional and formal. In the case of friends, close colleagues and family there is more chance of using informal methods to interact within a network.
Communicating with many people at once within a network:
Different methods of interaction are needed depending on not just the situation but the amount of people needing to be contacted at a time. For example, when I am needing to contact all of the parents of my dance pupils I would tend to post messages on both Facebook and Twitter, send out an email or group text and put up signs/ notices around the building instead of calling each individual. This is simply down to saving time and ensuring I have managed to contact everybody at the same time. If it were a more personal matter, for example, I would call the parent to arrange a meeting with them personally. This would also be the case within my family and friends networks if I was to arrange a party, for example.
Use of the internet:
When reflecting on my networks and methods of communication, I have noticed that I rely heavily on the use of the internet. I assume this will be the case with most people as it is the easiest and most common way of communication, especially since the rise of smart phones. Most people are permanently lined up to the internet and so getting hold of them to share information can be quite simple. Using Facebook and Twitter can also be a lot better to use when thinking financially as it is free to share and advertise any information related to dance classes etc. This is a great improvement from other methods of advertising!
Mainly, I use my networks to advertise my classes and find out about opportunities, this is all part of carving my career and building up my networks. People whom I admire through all areas of my professional and personal life are not necessarily doing completely different things towards networking, but may just have better established networks and so can use them to reach more people. For example, the more people that know about a class, the more the word is shared around and so it can continue to grow. The same applies for advertising on Facebook, the more friends who "Like" a post I may make about an upcoming class, the more of their friends can see it and get involved. I believe it is just a case of persevering and gradually building up the networks once the different areas have been established.
The other avenue I haven't ventured down yet is creating my own website. These days I believe it is a great way of putting yourself out to the public and showing everyone what your business is all about. I know from personal experience I will check to see if a company has a website and if I like the feel of the website I may judge the business simply through that. Recently business have relied upon Facebook alone to show their company online, this great as you can get easy access to them, contact them through private messages and even look at photographs and videos however more information and personal 'stamp' could be added to a website so I will work towards that.
When you reflect upon current networks, can you think about the motives of others to be in the network and what values and purposes they have in mind?
I will answer this question network by network as each one is very different in motives to another.
Employers-
Employers and seniors in my teaching assistant job are motivated as they need me to get a job done. This is obviously the basis of any job: they simply need to get somebody to work in return for money. Realistically there is more to it than that, I have been selected over many other applicant to do the job and so I am trusted to not only get on with my responsibilities but put my all into it and do my best. In return I will gain respect and the chance of more opportunities from my employer. In order for them to value me, I must prove myself be an essential part of their team.
Professional Acquaintances-
This is a more distant relationship, but still both parties must have a motive in wanting to stay connected. In this instance, the purpose of the network is to be aware of each others professional lives, contact each other when required and hopefully aid the other in their career. I may need someone to give some specialised help to a particular child I am working with within school and so a acquaintance in my network may have the skills required - this is helping me with my work and also providing them with work. In the dance world it may mean finding a job that isn't suitable for me however I may know somebody who it is ideal for and so I could pass the information on to an acquaintance - I would like to think that in a respectful network of people in the same profession, someone may do the same for me if the situation ever came about.
Colleagues-
This network is level and equal in motives. All colleagues have to work together and so the purpose of the network is to stay as a team and interact openly about all matters surrounding work. The motive to remain as a network will continue until somebody leaves their job and therefore will become either a professional acquaintance or a personal friend, depending on how personal the relationship has become in the time of being colleagues. Valuing a colleagues is important in being able to work well together and helping each other achieve the purpose of the job.
Friends-
This informal relationship is held together by the want share personal lives, thoughts, experiences and events, with each other. This is a positive, equal network in which both people can rely on each other and value each others feelings and views.
Parents and Pupils-
It is more appropriate to talk about my dance business for this network. The purpose of this network is to sustain a successful dance school - there is not point in putting on classes if there are no pupils to attend and no parents to support! The motive for the parents are the benefits of the classes:
-The advantages of learning to dance
-The location of the classes
-The price of the classes
-The class timetable
-The standards of my teaching
-The other pupils who may attend (friends/relatives)
Assuming that the pupils are wanting to go to the classes and not being pushed by parents, their motive is to learn to dance and have fun whilst they do it.
To keep the network connected, it is my responsibility to aim to ensure both the pupils and the parents motives are fulfilled to the best of my ability.
Family-
Unlike most other networks, this one cannot be chosen- you get what you're given! In an ideal world, the purpose of this relationship is to support, look after and value each other. This is not always the case however it is one of the most rewarding networks to have.
What would your ideal network look like and why?
My ideal network would be one in which there is mutual respect and understanding throughout. This doesn't have to be professional or personal, just equal an honest. Personally, I like to be able to combine personal and professional to create a relaxed, enjoyable network of people. This takes effort and a lot of care but is very rewarding. I the case of my pupil/parent network, I would like to develop the relationship even further the pupils and in return they work hard for me in classes, enjoy their time dancing and so their parents would respect me for that.
What realistic things could you do to work towards developing your ideal network?
In order to work towards a good balance between personal and professional in my networks, particularly the colleagues network, I need to put in a lot of effort in working as a team, ensure I am pulling my weight with the work load but also show interest and care in my colleagues as people. Notice and understand when they are feeling down, ill, frustrated or are in need of help and be their to support them as a friend, both through helping them with their work and also helping them with any problems they may be having. This has an impact throughout the network as it aids reputation and can bring a network closer together - often helping in the future when opinions may be passed on to others outside the network and therefore helping the network to grow.
In the case of growing my pupil and parent network, I need to continue fulfilling their motives for coming to class and hopefully this will help to not only improve the relationships within a network, but help to expand it further by spreading the word. Any good comments left on social networking sites, leaflets and advertisements all help the network to grow and develop.
What tools and methods do you need to use? What do you know about your current and intended networks, and importantly, what do you not know?
Through answering these questions I have learnt that I have more networks than I initially thought. I have been able to clarify the benefits of each network and the ways in which I use them across my life. I have discovered the many ways in which I communicate on connect within networks and have been able to reflect upon the good things I am doing to promote my career and also come up with ideas to be able to move forward and develop. The tools and methods needed include: keeping learning and progressing in my dance and therefore teaching styles, learning more about ways to extend networks and improve the networks I have already established (keeping up to date with new technologies and trends in order to stay relevant and up to date), maintaining standards across networks including working hard and showing care and consideration towards others and finally always listening to the opinions and ideas of others and using them to guide me. There are always things I do not know and so being open to new ideas and opportunities can help to develop networks further and, in turn, develop my business and career further.
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