The Staggering Results of Successful Employee Engagement
As Terri walked into work, the front desk receptionist greeted her with his typical morning smile. Then, while Terri waited by the elevator to go up to her office, he also added, “Congratulations on your son graduating from college this past weekend! I know how much it means to you to have him graduate.” Terri […]
We are Hardwired to Connect With Other Humans
About 200,000 to 800,000 years ago, a massive upgrade in technology occurred. It was a technology upgrade that allowed for individuals to create deeper social connections, retain and exchange knowledge, and cooperate together. Nobody witnessed this upgrade directly, however, because it happened inside the bodies of our ancient ancestors. The change occurred inside the brain, […]
After You Make An Introduction, Get Out Of The Way
This post is a continuation of our last post about creating affinity groups through shared interest introductions. Tom talked about how he connected two strangers at an event because they were both wearing Batman shirts for International Batman Day. Read the post here if you need a refresher! After I made the Batman introduction happen, […]
The Importance of Creating Your Secondary Family
When I was 11, Mom got the call that Gram was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In that moment, Mom promised that she would never put Gram in a nursing home. Two weeks later, Gram moved in. For the next seven years until she died, we spent our days dressing her, feeding her and chasing after her […]
Your Graphic T-Shirt is Begging for Connection
My brother and I were visiting a relative in the hospital. When it was time for me to go home, my brother offered to walk me to my car. As we walked down the shiny corridors, we passed a room that had the door open. We noticed a younger man straight up staring at us […]
Overcoming New Student Fears Through Connections
Being a member of the community at the University of Minnesota Duluth, I recently noticed that there were and still are many students who are in the “neutral zone” because they are unsure about being bold and friendly. Moving to college is an overwhelming time filled with new experiences. By the time I meet with […]
Handling Goodbyes: Make your Community Last Even After Members Leave
So it’s coming to that point of the year again…after all the stress of the spring semester classes and finals are over. My Res-Life Staff is leaving me! How can I possibly say goodbye to six unique individuals who have been a big part of my life as a first time res-life supervisor? Well, I […]
Redefining Student Engagement Through the Fogg Behavior Model (Part 1)
BJ Fogg created the Fogg Behavior Model (FBM) through his work at the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University. The FBM states… “Three elements must converge at the same moment for a behavior to occur: Motivation, Ability, and Trigger. When a behavior does not occur, at least one of those three elements is missing.” Fogg […]