Initiation

If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. - Nora Roberts

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Initiation is the beginning of something in the community. Most commonly, initiation refers to starting the conversation. So, when someone asks a question or poses a topic for discussion, the act of doing so is called initiation.

Initiation is the only way to foster engagement within a community. Any form of engagement starts with initiation. If you’re involved with community building, you need to initiate conversations time and again before you see it happening organically.

How can you initiate engagement in a community?

• Share a link to a relevant resource, make a reference to a part of that resource, and ask for people’s opinions.
• Ask a question, but not just a question, a well-thought-out question with your opinion and insights on it. Details excite people, and it can be just the right trigger for people to engage.
• Organize and/or Invite people to attend events. This can be outside of the community too, as long as it’s relevant, it counts.
• Crowdsource ideas. Involve the community with visions and goals. Ask them if something might be a good idea and nudge them towards sharing their own ideas.
• DM people and try to have 1-on-1s if your community is still new. If not, keep nudging them towards taking part in conversations.

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