Recap notes from CMX 2023 Summit session. Grammatical errors and typos are my own 🙂

Abstract

Serendipity is unplanned. Engineering is planned. How do you plan the unplannable? Join this interactive session and find out. – David Spinks, Co-founder, CMX

Notes

Can you engineer serendipity?

We only realize something is serendipitous by looking back

The Serendipity Process

1. Trigger – a cue that sparks an experience of serendipity
2. Connection – the recognition of a potential valuable outcome
3. Follow-up: An action taken to obtain the valuable outcome
4. Valuable outcome: the positive result of the serendipitous experience
5. An unexpected thread – the feeling that the experience was “surprising, random, or unusual”

As community managers, we facilitate. But if it’s unexpected, the more they will have a feeling of serendipity.

Perception of Serendipity (A Serendiptitous Environment)

For Serendipity to occur, people need to

• not be busy
• have lots of energy
• share common interests
• similar personalities
• are in unfamiliar places
• are with unfamiliar people (“never expected”)
• high willingness to socialize
• are comfortable in social interactions

The Five Levers of Serendipity

1. Immersion – a conference, a class (active participation and interactions vs. passive in Slack, chats) will run into the same people over and over again. Lots of triggers into one immersive experience.
2. Variation – People to come across different people, topics and experiences. (What area are you from? What platform do you use?). People to find shared interests – discussion tables, birds of a feather.
3. Facilitation – Example of fertilizing a plant, researching to grow. Create opportunities for people to meet and facilitate for people to make those serendipitous connections
4. Pollination – A lot of serendipity happens outside of community – forums, Slack channels, etc. Serendipity feels the biggest when you see someone you don’t expect. Increase the likelihood to connect and meet. E.g. Swag communicates that people are of the same group of people.
5. Repetition – See someone at the library, park, etc. More likely to take that follow-up (“Didn’t i see you at the ballpark?”). Need the frequent repetition to increase the odds that they will connect
   • Example: One community asks ” What did you do yesterday? What will you do today? ” awarding community with more community

Three Commitments

1. I will talk to strangers
2. I will lead with curiosity (ask questions)
3. I will follow up

Practice

1. Prime your mind
2. Find an “unfamiliar person”
3. Say “Tell me about yourself”