There’s a particularly awful kind of feeling to have when you’re a coworking space owner. It’s the one you feel when you’re looking around your space, seeing some seats sitting empty while others are filled by people on their headphones staring at their screens. People come in, they go to their desk, they work, they leave. There’s maybe some chitchat.
You planned some ice-breaker events and had decent attendance, but for the most part people just don’t respond.
When you got started, it was better. There was excitement and energy. People wanted to help. Now, it seems like people just want to be customers. They just want to be served.
What happened? Wasn’t this supposed to be a community? Where did it go?
If you resonate with this, then you and your community may be in a cultural trough. It’s not unusual; every community experiences a natural ebb and flow as people come and go and time marches on. People who were excitedly helping you get started move on, or become complacent.
You come up against the hard reality that you can’t force people to want to participate in a community.
So now what do you do?
This is where our conversation begins. While it may seem impossible to dig a stagnant community culture out of its trough, it’s not—we’ve been there before.
The trick to revitalizing a community’s culture is to think of it as if you’re starting a new community from within. You start with a basic question: what are the unfulfilled wants and needs of present and future community members?
Then: how can you take these needs and create opportunities for people to see how they can fulfill those needs through your community?
With the right kind of focus and effort, you can have a vibrant culture bursting forth once again in relatively short order.
Let’s talk about how. Over the past several years, we (Susan and Tony, hi!) have been running programs in our spaces that have consistently revitalized our communities. Join us Thursday, August 5 at 2:00 ET (see your time zone here) for a special informational session where we’ll dive into what it takes to revitalize your community in the best possible way.
Space is limited, because that’s how video chats work. RSVP for the Hangout, register for email updates, or tune in below!
You can also learn more on our Cotivation site or apply now for our next training session, which runs August to October!
Cheers,
Tony + Susan
