What In The World Is An 8 Minute Ripple?
Several years a few buddies and I were sitting around over beer and chewing the fat. One of my friends asked me what I planned to do to promote my book. Other than speaking occasionally and hoping that somehow the book sale Gods would shine down on me I hadn't really give it much thought. The more we chatted the more I realized that despite these guys being my friends and readers of the book, most of them were struggling with the practical application of how to Ripple.
As I am prone to do I immediately grabbed a pen and a napkin and started mapping out the various impactful ways Rippling could be applied to their social and business connection efforts. The more I drew the more the conversation and beer flowed. As the night wore on what I realized was the book was useful for those who could read it and immediately understand the application of it...but for some, including my now inebriated friends, it was clear a physical example of the power of social connection might be needed.
The idea of Rippling as an event was born.
To be clear my initial goal was to illustrate to people that connections come in all shapes and sizes and often through people we would least expect. I desperately wanted the 8 Minute Ripple to be viewed as a distinct departure from the "traditional 'so what do you do' networking" events which had been the bain of my existence up to that point. I wanted to give people a real life example of the power of social connection and how much more successful it is when you don't allow prejudgement or some pressing business agenda to cloud the view of people you encounter.
The event was simple...no business cards. No quippy 30 second spiels about what you do. No sales pitches. No posturing. No telling people where you live, what car you drive, where you went to school, what degrees you hold, etc. Nothing that denotes anything of "status."
Why? Simple! When we don't bring those things up the pressure is totally off. Our prejudgment tendencies stay in the barn. Our competitive dander stays down and most people open up their eyes and ears and really get to experience others for who they are...not what they are. The Ripple truly humanizes the process of connecting.
It's been several years now since that first event. Clearly we've made some changes along the way to enhance the experience for our participants but the approach and the goal still remains: demonstrate there is a better way to build your personal and professional network and it can be done in a fun and pressure free environment with individuals you absolutely want to meet and get to know. It worked for my beer buddies and I suspect if will work for you and yours as well!
Here's hoping if you you might come check out a future Ripple!
We have an event occurring on June 25th 6:30-8:30 in Austin. Come out and see what all the fuss is about. More details are available on my website at www.ripplecentral.com And if you know anyone in career transition, definitely encourage them to come to this Ripple as the approach to connecting can and will teach them how to open doors to that next job opportunity!
Ripple On!!!
