Face to Face February: Making Meaningful Connections
In the corporate world, many organisations embrace ‘Face to Face February’ as a way to encourage staff to spend quality face to face time with their clients. Here at CFCD we believe it’s just as important (if not more) for managers and leaders to invest in quality face to face time with their team members, without a set business agenda.
Here’s why and some tips to help with the how:
Why invest in making meaningful connections?
There has been a plethora of research showing the correlation between strong connections and health benefits including from Harvard Health Publications which writes “Good connections can improve health and increase longevity.”
Human beings are wired for connecting which Carolyn Tate describes as:
“Connecting is about getting to know, like and trust someone by asking meaningful questions and actually listening to the answers. It’s about sharing your story thereby giving the other person the courage to share theirs. It’s about following up your conversation with some valuable information or a trusted connection to others.”
Connecting with your people helps build trust which is the foundation for a high performing team. Here are some practical tips to help you make meaningful connections this February.
- Think of five people to approach to have a face to face connection with.
- Try getting out of the office and going for a walk and talk together.
- Rather than having a set agenda, organically get to know more about each other through asking meaningful questions.
- Look out for any common interests to help with bonding.
- Ask how you can help them achieve their goals this year.
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