Unexpectedly, this has become an incredibly personal blog post. The reason for this is that in order to develop my current goal for advancing my personal learning network (PLN), I was forced to reflect on what my network has been.
To reflect on this, as I discussed in one of my previous blogs, I took the idea out with me on a run. I decided to do a guided run and randomly the run that came up was called, Running for More: Connections. So, that was pretty weird. To add to that, the underlying theme of the run turned out to be climate change. Also, weird. At first, I thought this relevance extended only to the professional aspect of my work in climate change. However, the importance on the personal level quickly became obvious. The resulting ideas centered around my understanding and purpose for my PLN, how I plan to build it, and why it matters.
My PLN Purpose
The first step to establishing a PLN is defining a purpose (LinkedIn, 2023). My answer to that seems deceptively simple, as do all things until you put them into practice. My purpose is to build a community with whom I can collaborate professionally and personally – a support network. In this context, support encompasses various meanings, including professional collaboration and knowledge sharing, as well as emotional and existential support, highlighting the importance of friendship and companionship. As Hannah Arendt’s work is aptly summarized by Wilkinson (2022), “we are dropped down into a broken world, where humans hurt one another. To love the world, Arendt says, we need ‘oases’ where we can retreat and be renewed. Those oases include art and music and poetry and dinner tables and cocktail parties and, perhaps most importantly, friendship”. To me, a PLN, particularly one in climate change, must include current and potential professional connections; family and friends; and an intentionally curated likeminded community.
During my run, the coach urged me to evaluate my connections, distinguishing between positive and negative ones. He prompted me to mentally list those I trust, who support me when I am right and challenge me when I am wrong. This reminded me that, “these connections you have with these people, they are gifts. They are essential to you becoming everything you can be. We need these connections, and we need to celebrate these connections” (Bennett, n.d., 16:40). And he is right. These connections are essential and need to be celebrated. They also require intentional effort as maintaining and creating positive connections takes work, and I often fail to acknowledge that.
It Takes Effort
Coach Bennett (n.d.) says that every run builds endurance, and endurance allows us to keep going. To do another run and another – to keep getting back on the starting line. Just as long-term connections take effort and endurance. I wouldn’t expect myself to run a marathon without ever running all the small runs to get there. Relationships are no different – I cannot only be there for the big event, or when I need something, without putting in the effort along the way.
To build my PLN as I desire it to be, authentic engagement is essential. Meaning I need to contribute and reciprocate with others, responding, endorsing, and supporting them (LinkedIn, 2023). For sites like LinkedIn, that translates into setting time aside to log in and actively read other’s posts, like and share them, comment and provide support. This visibility and presence does not come easily to me. This is not because of my profession; I am uncomfortable with attention and that prevents me from getting involved at times. I am actively trying to overcome this lifetime challenge because, honestly, none of this is about me. I lie awake at night worrying about climate change. My silence does not help the cause. I can make some comments and support others working in this space. It just takes effort.
The global community is smaller now which opens up some incredible opportunities. Lately, I have attended virtual conferences with well-supported and engaging chat features for commenting and connecting, and the experience is powerful. Connecting with people from all over the country, minus the carbon emissions. I have made a few valuable connections through a recent climate conference and intend to bring this approach to all future meetings. Learning new material at conferences is great, but that will no longer be my only goal. Connections made could be long-term. It is like a curated dating app for friendship and connections that has already been curated to your interests.
I also intend to put effort into my current positive relationships, regardless of how busy my own life is. As Coach Bennett (n.d.) says, “Celebrate the person who calls just to see how you’re doing and truly wants to know the answer” (17:30). I must admit, I haven’t been the person who calls lately, and I need to make time. I also plan to extend that to my local community and get involved. My husband and I have been talking about attending town council meetings and getting to know our kindred spirits at the end of our street with Green Party stickers on their car, also learning to grow vegetables in the same garden beds as ours. When we moved to our town, we left a community in which we knew very few with shared values. We decided to build our family’s lives in this community, it is our responsibility to become involved and build connections here. It is important.
“How can one person, in their specificity, grasp the enormity of history and existence?”
Wilkinson, 2022
Why Does it Matter?
As comforting as it is to be surrounded by allies, it begs the question: in the grand scheme of things, why does it matter? And I think that is because in the grand scheme of things, each of us is but little specks of stardust. The world is bigger than any one of us, no matter how special we, or others, may think we are. We are all connected to each other and our planet, and in that connection is our power, for “how can one person, in their specificity, grasp the enormity of history and existence” (Wilkinson, 2022). That is why these relationships are important and why changemakers should prioritized the development of deep relationships. It is how we contribute value and what gives us meaning.
In my mind, I have substituted the term personal learning network with relationship network. The learning is implied in the relationships. That is obvious by watching my kids learn expressions, mannerisms, and skills at record speed simply by interacting with their peers. If only academic learning occurred that efficiently. The effort that is put into this relationship network is rewarded with meaning and purpose. After all, none of us live in a vacuum. All the billions of tiny specks of stardust, each one magically unique, provide a piece of this fascinating puzzle.
References
Bennet, C. (Hosts). (n.d.). Running for more: Connections [Audio podcast]. https://www.nike.com/ca/nrc-app
LinkedIn. (2023, August 24). What’s your strategy for building a personal learning network in your field? https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/whats-your-strategy-building-personal-learning-network#:~:text=Find%207%2D9%20people%20who,summary%20and%20call%20to%20action.
Wilkinson, A. (2022). The radical political power of friendship. Vox. https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23191518/book-excerpt-salty-friendship-cooking-social-society