📚 Learning and Growth in the Context of Connection
Content without Connection is Worth-Less.
If you want learning and growth to occur, then it is important to create a culture where people feel safe and connected.
I’m a teacher at heart. For as long as I can remember, I’ve derived great joy from helping others to learn, understand, and act on new insights.
I used to think that learning was all about the quality of the ideas and the clarity of the explanation (i.e., the act of teaching). But the longer I’ve taught and the more I’ve studied the learning process, the more I realize that I’ve been missing half of the equation.
This past week, I spoke at The Outcomes Conference in Jacksonville, Florida, giving a talk titled “Subscription Philanthropy: A New Wave of Giving.”
I shared how shifts in consumer trends and donor behavior have made recurring giving accessible to nonprofits that have historically been left out. However, maximizing the opportunity requires an entirely different approach to building a thriving, growing program.
I’ll dive more deeply into the topic in upcoming Wave Reports (and in my forthcoming book on the same), but if you can’t wait, here are a few recent Wave Reports:
As I traveled home, I posted this on LinkedIn:
“My tank is running on empty, but my heart is completely full. ❤️ I've been thinking about why this is the case, and I believe it's because of the deep, heartfelt connection and belonging I felt this week.”
Of any conference I attend/speak at, Outcomes is the most densely packed with incredible content and training, and across a variety of disciplines, too—leadership, fundraising, marketing, legal, finance, and accounting. As a teacher and advisor at heart, I LOVE IT.
Above: The Outcomes Conference is a highlight of my year—it provided so much rich learning, insights, and, just as importantly, connection.
Without connection, the best content in the world is worth so much less.
Content Without Connection is Worth-Less
Note that I'm NOT saying that content is WORTHLESS. I'm just saying that it's, well, worth less. Worth-less.
I'm inspired to study this more deeply over the coming days and weeks, but here's my hypothesis for why Content Without Connection is Worth-Less:
❤️ When you don't feel known or safe socially and when your emotional need for belonging isn't met, learning is so much harder.
I first learned this from my wife, Heather, a middle-school educator for more than 15 years. She knows that if she doesn't emotionally connect with her students (and get them connected with each other), her ability to teach them is so much less effective.
❤️ Connection is vital to processing what you are learning. If you've ever attended a training or conference with a friend rather than alone, you've felt this.
When you are alone, the ideas can be just as rich, but what happens when you can process those ideas over a drink or a meal afterward is entirely different. The quality of thinking increases, the ability to retain what you learned improves, and understanding improves when you compare notes.
Research shows that human connection is fundamental to learning. Studies show the effects of social connectedness and stability on social and emotional wellbeing, and learning and growth in turn.
💡 Takeaway: If we want ourselves and our people to maximize learning and growth, we must cultivate an environment where people feel safe and connected.
Having just come from a conference, this begs the question, how can one cultivate connection at meetings and events? Let’s wrap up today’s Wave Report with a few ideas to promote connection.
Cultivating Connection Before Content at Conferences and Events
Conferences and events are rich sources of ideas and information. But as we’ve just discussed, to get the most out of them, it’s vital that we feel safe and connected.
Here are a few ideas to cultivate connection:
✅ BRING SOMEONE ALONG.
One of the best things you can do is invite someone to come with you - a co-worker, a friend, a fellow board member, etc. The quality of the experience and the learning for both of you will be so much better.
✅ TAKE SOCIAL "RISKS."
Talk to the person you are waiting in line next to. Sit at the table with 2-3 other people and strike up a conversation. I say "risks" in smart quotes because, at the end of the day, they aren't really risks at all. You probably won't see those people ever again anyway, so go for it!
If you want tips for connecting in social settings, check out the work of Vanessa Van Edwards on LinkedIn or at her website, Science of People. She has a great email list you can sign up for there.
For a great example, here’s Vanessa explaining to Jennifer Hudson how to avoid awkward holiday party small talk.
✅ BE GENEROUS AND INVITE CONNECTION.
Sometimes, you are the one in the in-crowd. The inner circle. Be generous with your influence. Invite others into conversations.
Especially at conferences – which can be awkward affairs – it's incredible what can happen when one is sensitive to inviting others who feel left out or excluded.
Priya Parker wrote the book The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, which focuses on using “generous authority” to help others feel safe and connected. I highly recommend it.
✅ INVITE CONNECTION BEFORE CONTENT.
I learned this one directly from Chad Littlefield. His LinkedIn profile captures what Chad is passionate about – “I help leaders and events make connection easy.”
I learned about Chad when I read a book he co-authored with the late Will Wise, upon the recommendation of a friend when I asked him how I could get better at asking questions (thank you, Russell James!) – Asking Powerful Questions: Create Conversations That Matter.
Chad is THE champion of helping your audience feel connected before you deliver content. For a practical example, here’s a video of Chad sharing his Best Meeting Icebreaker.
💡 Takeaway: If you want to improve your learning and the ability of your people to learn at events, look for ways to foster connection – bring someone along, put yourself out there and take social risks, be generous with your influence, and invite connection before content.
And speaking of connection, if we aren’t connected on LinkedIn, you can find me at www.linkedin.com/in/draley. I’d love to connect!
I’m so grateful for a social network like LinkedIn, where professionals and people with shared interests and passions can get connected and cultivate a sense of belonging.
Until next week… Surfs Up! 🌊
- Dave
P.S. I’ll be speaking virtually at the Virtuous Responsive Nonprofit Summit, May 7-9, with a talk called Navigating Change: Surfing the Waves of Innovation. Thousands of nonprofit leaders will be online for his three-day streaming event. You can learn more about the event and register for free at www.virtuous.org/summit.
About the Author | Dave Raley
Consultant, speaker, and writer Dave Raley is the founder of Imago Consulting, a firm that helps non-profits and businesses create profitable growth through sustainable innovation. He’s the author of a weekly trendspotting report called The Wave Report, and the co-founder of the Purpose & Profit Podcast — a show about the ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands.
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