The Power of the Micro-Connection

In the hectic world of universities, we sometimes overlook or take for granted the human need for connection and the value of connections in shaping and moulding our experiences, relationships, and our wellbeing. Interactions with those around us can have a lasting impact, it can make your day, open lines of communication and create lasting bonds. For staff,onnections can enhance our communities of practice which has been shown to be a powerful tool for professional development (MacPhail, 2014), reveal surprising links across institutions and encourage us to work in different ways. For students connections can create a sense of belonging, noted as critical to student retention (O'Keeffe, 2013), support wellbeing and make the learning experience more valuable and memorable.

One of the most powerful but rarely discussed ways that we connect with our students is through the everyday micro-connections we have with them. Micro-connections are small interactions that result in the receiver having a feeling of wellbeing or being considered. Take a moment and think about the times that someone paused to compliment you, or to strike up a conversation in a queue or in passing or offered of small helping hand? These little interactions can improve our wellbeing and affect our mood positively – they can put a smile on face. In practice micro-connections have the potential to be low resource and high impact relational links that can have a lasting impact on students and on staff. It is already known how important relational links are to feelings of connection and mattering within Higher Education (Gravett, 2022)

Imagine the following scenario:

Two international students from warmer countries bump into their lecturer who asks them how they are and how they are getting on. They reply that they are looking forward to the snow and does the lecturer know when it will arrive – what follows is a common place, very British, conversation about the weather. The next day the lecturer notices that unusually snow is forecast for the following week, she emails the two students to let them know, receiving excited emails back almost immediately.

 

This is a micro-connection which leaves the students feeling considered and supported. This context has no relation to their academic studies, their immediate wellbeing, or their future career pursuits but it has established a rapport and connection. When one of these students later needs support, they seek it early using this established route and the friendly face behind it. It also allows the staff member an insight their students, this potentially makes it easier to spot any difficulties at a later date.

In a landscape where personal tutoring and academic advising are crucial to the progress and experiences of our students but the allocated time for these activities is often limited, micro-connections can become an integral part of our student care. Ensuring our students feel valued, seen and considered not only results in a feeling of wellbeing but it establishes connections which may become vital when real issues arise. Kahu and Picton (2019) demonstrate that students note that the characteristics of a good personal tutor are helpful, caring, likeable, and hands-on; all characterises that can be captured in the micro-connection. These connections can provide a student with a route through which they can actively face challenges rather than hiding from or avoiding them and possibly fading away from their academic study.

We should perhaps recognise though that creating these micro-connections is a skill. For some people initiating these interactions can come naturally, others may be less confident or less naturally pre-disposed to engaging and some may find these interactions hugely challenging. This variation needs to be accommodated and understood. Likewise, our personal circumstances, our familiarity with our context or our mood may impact how effectively we interact with others at any given time. That said by taking some time to consciously observe and enhance our own interactions and by helping our students and colleagues to develop these skills we can actively impact the educational landscape that we work and learn in for the better.

So, what approaches can we use to help achieve this?

Strategy 1

We can actively set the target for ourselves and our students of engaging in three micro-interactions a day. These should be small, they don’t need to be planned and we shouldn’t judge ourselves. Make a little time to discuss the impact of these interactions and how they make you feel.

Strategy 2

Model connections for your students. Our students will emulate our behaviour and mirror our engagement with them. Maintaining appropriate boundaries is important but taking an interest and learning a little about their experiences are good foundations to build.

Strategy 3

Taking a leading role can help. Encourage more established students to take a role in initiating conversations with newer students. Give them responsibility to help make those around them feel comfortable particularly in new situations, e.g. student events, inductions, key transitional points.

Strategy 4

Actively teach the art of peer feedback – encourage positivity and a focus on appreciating work.

Strategy 5

Meet and greet students at the door of the classroom and when you see them in the corridor acknowledge them and pause to chat.

References

Gravett, K., 2022. Relational pedagogies: Connections and mattering in higher education. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Kahu, E.R. and Picton, C., 2019. The benefits of good tutor-student relationships in the first year. Student Success, 10(2), pp.23-33.

MacPhail, A., Patton, K., Parker, M. and Tannehill, D., 2014. Leading by example: Teacher educators' professional learning through communities of practice. Quest, 66(1), pp.39-56.

O'Keeffe, P., 2013. A sense of belonging: Improving student retention. College student journal, 47(4), pp.605-613.