Richard Boyatzis, Distinguished Professor at Case Western Reserve, refers to “resonant relationships.” In the context of coaching he talks about tapping the Positive Emotional Attractor (PEA), which I interpret as the fundamental element of joy and possibility in each individual. Essentially, good coaching, and good communication in general, springs from this point.

Widening the scope of resonance to professional networking puts positivity and trust center stage in the conversation. Instead of cycling through all of the dry interactions (e.g. “What do you do?” or “Is it supposed to rain this afternoon?”) it’s worth preparing yourself to 1) talk about things that make you happy and 2) listen for the topics that make others happy.

In the field of international affairs, we often think we have to dwell in a world of the dry and serious, with sometimes deadly dull conversations. Truth be told, global themes can be exciting, and the people involved can be energetic and inspired.

In The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements, Stuart E. Eizenstat states that every major agreement in his book “was facilitated by negotiators developing close personal relationships of trust and confidence with counterparts." He cites Kissinger and Zhou Enlai, Carter and Sadat, and Charlene Barshefsky and the Chinese State Council, among others.

Resonant networking is building from a positive personal connection into a resonant relationship. What begins as an individual back-and-forth, a carefully curated professional friendship, can become the foundation for change, both in the micro-arena and in the sphere of global affairs.