The BA's Guide to Building Authentic Online Connections.

Essential tips and advice to ensure your online network thrives.

Introduction

During the last 10 years of my career, and now more than ever, I have been doing most of my business analysis centred work online and in a virtual environment.

Most of my network these days are with people who I either have an email relationship with, a virtual learning relationship or in some cases a virtual Zoom relationship with.

Regardless of how and where I’ve met people online, I have learned that the intent of these relationships is crucial and nurturing them even more so.

I know, I am not the only one.

The world is global more than ever before and we all collaborate virtually with everyone we work with even if it is just part of the time.

I know many people even collaborate virtually with others when they are all based in the same physical office.

In many ways it is just easier, and it caters for everyone’s locality, regardless. And some people even form new business partnerships across the wires, through a Zoom lens (I am one of them too).

The challenge: Maintaining genuine connections in a virtual environment.

Despite the widespread acceptance of our virtual connections as being the norm, it comes with one undeniable challenge: how genuine are our connections to our network?

It is more than that, how do you ensure your relationships are as genuine as they can be in this new world of Zoom and Teams meetings?

The Importance of Authenticity in the Digital Realm

It is important for us all to remember that there is a real person on the other side of the Zoom lens or the email trail.

That person has all the same needs for a real, authentic relationship with you as when you build a relationship in-person with them...

Many of the traditional ways to build authentic relationships are however stripped away from us when we only have a computer camera to look at when engaging with others often for the first time.

This makes it much more challenging to build those authentic relationships, but it certainly doesn’t make it less important.

The pitfalls of superficial online networking.

When you are working and engaging with others online, it is easy to not really engage with the other person in any meaningful way and to make whatever the virtual transaction is between you, quite robotic and unemotional.

This also means that once we ‘log off’ we forget each other quickly and our sense of care and commitment to the other person is diminished or completely non-existent.

This approach reduces that connection to a transaction with the only value being the value of whatever the transaction held in that moment, nothing more.

Are you guilty of having done this?

When we don’t bother with making a real connection with someone in the virtual world, we remove the possibilities a relationship can bring to us (& to them) now and in the future.

That is like accidentally bumping into someone in the street and not even making eye contact as you quickly apologise and move on, never to see that person ever again.

For us to thrive in the digital world of connection building though, we need to find a way to build strong, lasting, and authentic relationships with those we meet online.

To create a network of possibilities for everyone in the network, we must take the time to overcome the boundaries set by the virtual world.

If we don’t, our own value will be reduced to that of one or two transactions we manage to do with anonymous strangers from time to time…

Understanding the BA's Unique Position

The analytical mindset: How BAs are naturally equipped to understand and navigate digital spaces.

As Business Analysts we tend to be more naturally able to utilise different digital platforms and collaboration opportunities as we see and find out about them.

We are problem solvers who seek new ways to solve or improve things, so building connections in a virtual environment is no different.

The human touch: Emphasising the importance of interpersonal skills in a tech-driven role.

We do however need to keep in mind that our peers and business stakeholders may not be that comfortable with new ways of working, collaborating, and engaging with us in a virtual environment.

This makes it important for us to lean into our softer skills of building strong relationships and fostering a feeling of trust when it comes to our online collaboration efforts.

Strategies for Building Authentic Online Connections

Keeping those Business Analysis softer skills in mind, here is a list of ways you can maximise your ability and success of building stronger connections online:

Active Listening in Virtual Interactions

Granted there are many different types of online collaboration and contexts, but you should always aim to show a genuine interest and understanding during virtual meetings or chats.

I have a lot of experience these days of running workshops via Zoom and I find it so much more valuable when my audience takes part in the discussion.

It creates a sense of trust and connection when healthy discussions are facilitated, or questions are asked.

It also makes the facilitator know who you are, and the first steps of establishing a real online connection is taken.

As a virtual workshop facilitator, it really helps bring the session full circle when members in the meeting asks questions or sums up their reflections on the session content we covered. It helps build new authentic online relationships.

Personalising Digital Interactions

Personalising your digital interactions is becoming more important than before.

In the age where it is becoming more difficult to know whether you are engaging with an AI authored email or not, it is even more important to ensure your intended recipient of your message knows you know who they are talking to and to address them in a way that resonates best with them.

I make a point of tailoring messages and responses to the individual as much as what is possible.

Whenever I have an email exchange with someone or even a chat online, I make sure to use the person’s first name (or first and last name) and I address them the same way that they addressed me.

For example, if they say “Hi Esta”, I make sure to also address them with the prefix “Hi” instead of something else like: “Hello” or “Dear”.

This technique is really an interpretation of our ability to mirror other people’s body language and gestures which is a non-verbal and an extremely powerful way to build rapport.

The value of remembering and referencing past interactions.

It really helps if you can recall a conversation you had with someone before.

This can be a bit tricky if you deal with a lot of people virtually and don’t have an email history to fall back on.

If you do however have access to the previous interaction details you had with an online connection, take the time to look that up and use that in your next interaction.

Leveraging Visuals for Deeper Connections

I’d like to start the topic of leveraging visuals by telling you an unfortunate story…

I was once asked to attend a virtual job interview with people at a bank here in Australia. There was about 5 people in the interview, and nobody had their cameras on.

Can you imagine that?

It was like you were on a stage with all the lights on you and you can’t see anyone in the audience.

Not only that, but the audience members also asked you difficult questions to answer in front of everyone…

I’ve had a few unfortunate job interviews in my time but this one came across as people being the rude and inconsiderate.

Whilst I understand that those people were just used to working that way, I didn’t have any desire after this interview to be part of a team that operated in such an inconsiderate and what I consider as a disconnected way.

All this was due to virtual engagement becoming careless and authentic connections being lost.

The moral of that story: Switch your video on during a video meeting, especially if someone new comes into the virtual conversation.

Another great approach to use to connect to your virtual meeting attendees is to use shared screens and visual tools (like Miro or MS Power Point) to collaborate and ensure that everyone has a common understanding of what is being discussed.

It is very easy for some people to lose context of what is being discussed and hence break the connection to you and your message.  

Remember that 60% of all people prefer to learn and process information using visual media.

Participating in Online Communities

When you join an online group or forum, for example a Business Analysis focussed forum, the best way to build meaningful connections are to contribute to discussions in a consistent, frequent, and meaningful way.

If you give your inputs and ideas, others will notice them and reach out to you or comment back if it resonates.

Whilst this may not always end in a direct new connection, it will raise your profile online which will make it easier for others to consider you credible and potentially worth including in other online contexts or groups.

It is like showing up in a good suit at work. Look and act professionally and with integrity, always show up (be consistent and reliable) and people will eventually recognise you as a trustworthy online person to network with and reach out to.

Navigating Challenges and Misunderstandings

Someone gave me good advice many years ago…

It was when the virtual communication was still predominantly email but it can apply to every type of virtual communication.

The advice was:

“Always assume the person who wrote the email had the very best of intentions and means you no harm.”  

That advice has helped me avoid many unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts through the years.

Addressing the potential for miscommunication in digital interactions.

You have probably received an email where you thought someone was being abrupt or rude to you.

I certainly have.

In most cases this was not the case at all. We are not there to watch them write the email, so we don’t know what state they are in when they send the email out to you.

For all you know they might be very rushed, distracted or stressed in that moment and simply didn’t think to include the social niceties or friendly tone they normally try to include…

Keep this in mind next time you think someone is abrupt or rude.

Also keep in mind that people tend to be more focused on themselves and their issues and worries, than on you or the email they sent you. This is another reason why they were most likely not intending to be rude or abrupt, but simply being caught up in their own world.

Strategies for clarifying intentions and seeking understanding.

However, if you ever find yourself receiving an actual confrontational email from a friend or a work colleague, do not reply via email.

I recommend you call them or walk over to their desk if you can and ask them to tell you what they are not happy with directly.

(Perhaps give yourself a while to feel calm if you are feeling emotional or upset, before calling or approaching them.)

Emails often make these types of conflict-based emails sound ten times worse than what was intended.

Keep cool, and whatever you do, do not reply with an email.

Conclusion

Virtual communication and connection building is a reality that will stay with us for a long time to come and therefore it is really important that you learn to do it very well.

A great rule of thumb is simply to remember that there is a real person on the other side of the email, chat (unless it is AI of course) or Zoom call and you should treat them as close as what you can to what it would be like if you met them in person.

One last comment.

I met via email, LinkedIn and Zoom wonderful people as part of my Business Analysis training and coaching work but the ones that truly stand out to me, are the ones who make me feel like a real person.

Now it is your turn to showcase these concepts!

Join in and share your experiences and advice with me and others about how to build authentic online connections!