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The Christmas/Holiday season is always a special one for the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce and its Business After 5, this year taking place on Wednesday, December 11, will be no exception.

With CIBC’s London Road branch opening its doors for this special event, Chamber members (FREE to attend) and non-members alike ($30) are sure to enjoy the great conversation.

And as mentioned elsewhere, those who are looking for ongoing opportunities to “step it up” as members of the Business After 5 committee are particularly welcome to check out just how much fun this volunteer experience can be for extending relationships—perhaps even beyond your comfort zone.

We look forward to catching up on Wednesday, December 11 at CIBC’s London Rd. branch, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

While this originally was meant to be a networking article, becoming more interesting is something that can benefit every area of your life, from striking up a random conversation with strangers to trying out for Dos Equis next Most Interesting Man in the World.

Interesting Is in the Eyes of the Audience

First, someone’s “interesting” may not be your interesting. There’s no special pill to take or drink to consume to become more interesting because it’s not a universal application. But you can become more interesting to a particular audience in these ways:

Do Your Research

Establish who it is you want to become more interesting to and do your research. This could be an individual, like wanting to meet and talk to a particular head of industry at a Chamber event or it could be a group of people you want to impress, like marketing to millennials.

Whether a person or group, use social media and the internet to do research on their interests, concerns, things they’ve published or curated, and other personal information. But not too personal. If we’re talking about a person and not a demographic, stop just short of bringing up personal things you know about them and their family thanks to the fact that they don’t know how to use security features on Facebook.

Read

If you’re trying to expand your views, reading is one of the best ways to do that. It provides insight into thoughts, cultures, and history with perspective. If you’re not a reader, try audiobooks or TED Talks. The point is to expand your mind and you don’t do that by listening only to yourself and your circle of like-minded friends.

Ask Questions

If you focus the conversation on the person you’re trying to impress and ask worthwhile questions of them, they will most likely think the conversation (and thus you) was very interesting, because you were talking about them.

Explore Difference

Make time to be with people whose views vary from your own. Put the debating aside and try to understand why they feel the way they do about the issues they support and the ones they don’t. Experience these topics removed from the emotion of how you feel about them.

For instance, if you have an acquaintance who supports a different political candidate than you do, ask them probing questions about why they do. Don’t make this about proving them wrong. Suspend your opinion and only listen to theirs. Try to understand what drives it the way a psychologist may dissect someone’s motives.

Surround Yourself with Smarter People

Whether you’re hiring, dining, or playing racquetball, spend at least some of your time with people who are smarter than you or more well-traveled than you. Ask them about their experiences. When they speak, listen, even if it’s not directed your way.

Take Up a New Hobby or Learn Something New

Attack your bucket list with wild abandon or simply try an online class or a new hobby.

Travel

Experience foreign cultures and explore alone. Take time to listen to what’s going on around you. Talk to strangers. Everyone has a story. Learning theirs will make yours more interesting too.

Accept that Learning as an Adult Is Different

Many people refuse to read or take online classes because they associate learning with the drudgery of school and rote memorization and boring curriculum, but when you are master of your own ship and can steer the course (of your courses), learning becomes much more enjoyable. Give it a chance. Note of caution: while you may enjoy it more, it may also take more repetition for the ideas to sink in.

Embrace a Cause

You’ll meet new people and do some good.

Look for Connections

As you absorb these new experiences and learning, don’t place them in boxes in your head as if you were organizing the garage. Instead, look for applications for your new knowledge and experiences and connections to others and ideas.

Be Generous

Be generous for no reason and fight the temptation to post it on social media. Let it be a secret you share with the person who benefited.

Don’t Ever Try to Be the Most Interesting Person in the Room

If you are, there’s nothing to gain.

A Final Word on Becoming More Interesting

There are numerous books written about becoming a better conversationalist, and while some of that is technique, some of it is also derived from personal growth and a desire to never stagnate. The internet has placed near-limitless learning opportunities in front of us that are available all day every day. Using this knowledge availability as a stepping stone to expand our horizons and become life-long learners will not only make us more interesting but help our businesses remain relevant during times when “staying the course” isn’t advisable.

For business owners who are looking for a robust benefits package (for themselves or for their employees) but might be thinking they’re “just too small,” the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce, through its Chambers Plan, may be the answer.

Starting with a “no minimum firm size” (meaning your company is eligible to apply even if it’s a one-person operation), the Chambers Plan was designed specifically to protect small businesses, from those that are home-based to growing companies (up to 50 employees).

The Chambers Plan is also geared to grow and evolve with the needs of a company.

And because there are no industry restrictions with the Chambers Plan, as long as you’re a member of the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce, you’re eligible. In short, based on the specific needs of your business and employees, there’s a plan that’s right for you.

The Chambers Plan has a guaranteed approval feature (there are no health questions or medical exams to separate you from a benefits program) and renewal of coverage is also guaranteed as long as you pay your premium and maintain your Chamber membership.

Stable rates are made possible by the bundling with thousands of similar firms and a “partial pooling” concept on health and dental benefits. That means small fluctuations in a firm’s claims do not automatically factor into the rates, giving firms greater rate stability over the long term.

The Chambers Plan operates under the direction of the not-for-profit Chambers of Commerce Insurance Corporation of Canada, with volunteer directors who are also Chamber members.

What all this means is that your interests as a Chamber member are front and centre. All surpluses are reinvested in the Plan to help control premiums.  This is why 850 Chambers of Commerce (including the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce) actively endorse Chambers Plan.

There are additional features that make the Chambers Plan worth looking into, including connections with professional accounting, counselling, legal, and human resources experts who understand the challenges faced by small business.

The process of applying is simple and fast: most health and dental claims are processed within 48 hours and health options include on-the-spot processing of prescription drug claims using the Assure Card.

One more thing: the Chambers Plan Service Centre works in concert with a local Chambers Plan advisor to give you answers to all your questions.

Locally, that advisor is Selectpath Benefits & Financial, formerly LBM Consulting.

Interested in learning more? Connect with us today by calling (519) 336-2400 or by emailing sdesilva@slchamber.ca, to get started.

Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome two new members to its ranks. Please take the time to reach out to the following;

—Watmec Limited, Corunna. As one of Canada’s most innovative providers of customized training and development solutions, Waterloo Management Education Centre (WATMEC) designs skill-building programs to meet any organization’s performance objectives. Aligning learning outcomes with organizational strategies and key business drivers has made the organization a top choice of decision-makers in the public and private sectors.

Being one of the oldest training firms in the industry has given WATMEC the experience and the background to evolve its training methodology over the years. During this process, WATMEC has become the only training provider to put its own trainers through the Accelerated Learning training module and scrutiny to ensure that the level of learning they provide your employees is of the highest quality.

—National Hose and Equipment Ltd. – a Canadian owned and operated wholesale warehousing distributor supplying a complete range of industrial, chemical and hydraulic hose and fittings. It also supplies sandblasting pressure pots & cabinets, casters, and hose reels.

The firm has considerable experience in the export market, offering excellent freight rates, competitive prices, and a value-added service, which is second to none.

Steve Crozier, a long-serving member on the Chamber’s Business After 5 Committee, wants to share the benefits he’s seen from being involved over the years.

For nine months in a calendar year, Business After 5 provides a unique opportunity for members to connect in an informal way, often with a theme (and networking activities) designed to make those connections as easy and productive as possible.

“Our Business After 5 gatherings are consistently one of the best ways to connect,” said Crozier, a sales representative with EXIT Twin Bridges Realty.

Crozier would specifically like to have members take that to the next level.

“Becoming a member of our BAF committee is an area that leads in itself to new connections throughout the Chamber,” said Crozier. “It’s part of what makes the Chamber such a strong place to build and maintain relationships and stepping forward as a member of the BAF committee would be an even more valuable move in that direction.”

Please contact Crozier by email (sarniarealtor@gmail.com) or phone (519) 466-3755.