5 Tips for Great Fresh-Start in a Coworking Space

Becoming a new member of a coworking space can be both intimidating and uplifting at the same time – a lot depends on your personality, whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, and on the community, you will meet there. Whatever happens, every little experience will be a great addition to your life and…

The best coworking spaces provide a great deal of benefits for their community members. The office itself is not only a great working place, with reliable internet connection, 24/7 access, a comfortable and home-like working environment for everybody; but it also gives its members the full social experience – they are introduced to the community through various platforms, and are also invited to participate in community events which are organized frequently.

We have collected here 5 tips for you when you are fresh starting in a coworking space. All these are based on our experience we have gained working in Budapest’s favourite coworking office.

So, what exactly should you do when you join a coworking community?

Tip #1: Know your Community:

When you first join a coworking community, make sure to get informed about the community itself first, their customs and community programs, ask who you should turn to with your questions and requests, and inquire about potential partnerships between the coworking office and other businesses (such as restaurants, gyms, coffee shops etc.) in the surrounding area.

Tip #2: Stay true to yourself

The most important rule in every community is to stay true to yourself. Don’t let go of your own beliefs and natural way of life! In a coworking office you will find a diverse community: there are people who are very direct, who love to engage in conversations with the other community members, and there are those, who would rather just focus on their work. It is worth to observe them a little beforehand, see what their customs are, and if you find a person with behavioral patterns you can relate to, it can be a good start to introduce yourself. Or quite the opposite: if you see someone who is completely different from you, go ahead and say hello. Even if you find it a bit odd, it’s very common for strangers in a coworking space to address each other.

Tip #3: Be open for the possibilities

Be open for the possibilities a coworking space provides for its members and communicate according to what you would like to bring out from you time spent there. It reveals a lot about a person if he or she is sitting with their face towards the open area, which means that they would be ready to make new connections, speak to others; or if they turn their back to the most important meeting points – they would like to focus, and deal with their work only. If you wish to talk to people, avoid headphones and headsets as well, don’t close out the surroundings!

Tip #4: Connect with the community leaders

Make sure to contact community leaders, hosts to help you get settled easier. They can be a great help for you during your stay at a coworking space, and they can inform you about everything in connection with the office and its community. You can also ask them to recommend people you could hang out with, who could show you the city (if you’re new there), teach you about the culture, or who work in the same field as you, and would maybe even help you with work-related issues.

Tip #5: Let others know you exist

It is also a good idea to introduce yourself on various platforms to build new connections and expand your network, not just face-to-face. If your coworking space has a closed community Facebook group, you should reach out to others in a personal tone — they will instantly offer to help you get settled, to show you around not just in the office, and aid you when you are having difficulties blending in.

Just remember: if you see someone interesting in your new coworking space, make sure to introduce yourself. You never know what kind of an impact just one person can have on your life!

In a nutshell

Being part of a new environment has great benefits for you: from network-building to getting inspired by others’ stories, you will definitely find your time in a coworking space enjoyable. It is your most important task to decide what role you would like to play in the community: should you want to meet everyone and focus on building your relationships, or should you just go there for work and become only an observer of the community – YOU decide! If you take with you only one thing from us, it should be this: STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF! – That’s how you will be able to find your place in any community.

(This article is a courtesy of Kaptar Coworking Space in Budapest to Cowork7/24 community and beyond, written as a collective effort by Kaptar team and curated by Agnes Kecskes D, Kaptar’s Marketing Manager)

Here’s also a 1-minute video you may want to hear the story of Kaptar.