Networking as Generosity

One of the ideas I used to teach my students was to reframe networking. Instead of thinking about it as asking for something, I encouraged them to view it as an ongoing practice of generosity. I have them read this article: Shenoy (2019)Why generosity is the key to effective networking

And they I ask them: “What can you offer that is generous?”

That question has shaped my own approach to networking as well.

In my case, generosity shows up through my podcast, where I interview memoir writers about their work, their lives, and their writing craft.

I love this work—the conversations, the stories, the creativity—but it is also an act of generosity. The podcast gives authors more visibility and introduces their books to potential new readers. Ideally, some listeners will buy those books, which helps support the authors I interview.

But it also helps me. When it comes time to publish my own memoir—likely in a year or two—I’ll have connections with writers who may be willing to support my book as well.

When an author recommends a book to their audience, that can boost the other writer’s visibility. That too is a form of generosity.

Still, at the heart of it, I podcast because I enjoy it. I don’t mind analyzing interview audio, writing scripts, recording, or mixing episodes. With the right tools, I even enjoy audio editing.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on where I go from here. I miss teaching, and I’m trying to identify which aspects of the work I do are worth continuing or expanding, that is - where can I be generous in a meaningful and useful way.

I’ve done typesetting and editing work—especially advanced Microsoft Word formatting—and I enjoy that kind of problem‑solving. Years ago when I was teaching Advanced Microsoft Word for Technical Writers, I created a YouTube tutorial on complex page layout in Word 2010. It’s nearly ten years old now, but still relevant. The process hasn’t changed, but because the video is labeled “Word 2010,” it doesn’t get the views it once did.

Redoing the tutorial in the current version of Word could genuinely help people working on complex layouts. That is something that I will add to my to do list.

The challenge I’m having is that I don’t yet have a clear sense of what writers need most. As a writer myself, I wonder what “writerly” skills or resources I could offer that would actually be valuable.

The instructional designer in me immediately says - time for a needs analysis. so, I created a quick survey. I ask the writers who are reading this, can you take a few minutes (5-7 minute) to complete this Writer Needs Assessment Questionnaire. Because it is in my nature to share, I’ll share the results of the questionnaire when I get enough responses for it to be meaningful.