What Is Co-Creating Connection?

The Problem

Are you tired of being asked these common small talk questions?
“Where are you from?”
“What do you do for work?”
“The weather has been quite awful this week, hasn’t it?”
You’re probably also using them yourself because you don’t know what else you can ask.

The problem is that people don’t know how to connect with each other well. Usually people end up starting with the same shallow questions that everyone is using despite feeling it’s shallow and artificial. This is because we were not educated and trained on how to form connections in deeper ways.

It’s a pity. Because people do want to connect and have meaningful interactions. You want to make new friends and network with new colleagues. You know that authentic social connections enrich your life in so many ways, with enjoyment, emotional and practical support, and further opportunities through your extended social network.

So there must be a better way to connect than awkward superficial small talk!

The Solution

Obviously, the solution is to have some sort of structured format of a group activity, which is guided by a facilitator. This structure guides people, through various activities, and helps them to connect in more meaningful ways.

What are these activities? There are many different possibilities - you can see some ideas in our menu. But importantly, the meeting’s facilitator does not necessarily know what will work best in a given group. Each person is unique, and each group’s dynamic is unique.

So the unique aspect in the Co-Creating Connection format, compared to other workshops, is that the facilitator does not decide alone on the meeting’s content. All participants co-create the content together - they play an active role in deciding what activities to do. They decide together either by voting or through some other mechanism.

More deeply, participants hold a discussion about what it actually means to connect and to feel connected with other people. This discussion helps them develop awareness of these questions and brainstorm answers together.

Actually, the participants themselves may not necessarily know what activities will work best for them. That’s why the meeting is considered an experimental research lab, a space for experimentation, trial and error, drawing conclusions, and modifying the activities to better suit us. The facilitator is enabling this process and does not dictate it.

Additionally, when people participate in determining the content of the group meeting, they feel much more invested in it and connected to the chosen activities compared to what happens in a workshop where the host dicatates what is being done.

The Co-creating Connection Format

In light of the above, the Co-Creating Connection format was created. It’s a unique format for meaningful social gatherings. We want strangers to become friends through authentic conversations and playful group activities.

These structured events are guided by a facilitator, but all participants co-create the experience together. Participants share what true connection actually means for them, what it feels like, and how it can be attained. They all choose together from a rich menu of guided prompts, exercises, and games, and then experiment and explore connection together.