What I Heard In the Room: A Case for Deeper Human Connections

In a couple of incidents recently, I had the opportunity to sit in a crowd of senior living and long term care providers and listen while they asked questions and shared concerns with bipartisan panels of legislators. It was refreshing.

The first thing that stood out to me was the genuine care that the people in the crowds have for their team members and those they serve. One administrator talked about her team members who can't even afford to buy a daily Diet Coke, or other items that many of us take for granted, but being trapped in a system that prevents her from paying a better wage. They talked about potential solutions to the nursing crisis. Through the entire conversation, the concern was for the people they serve and those they serve alongside.

I walked away tremendously moved. First, by the genuine compassion demonstrated by the questions people asked. Secondly, by the fact that it was not about one side or the other - it was about how do we solve these deeply complicated problems.

Sometimes we get so caught up in what we see on social media and in the news that we reduce people to stereotypes or caricatures. What I see as I sit in the room or speak with genuine human beings is that, by and large, we all deeply care about other humans.

Let's intentionally get behind the outrage that social media provokes and start listening to the lived experiences in the actual room.

And maybe one of the most important places to practice that is at work.

Not through surface-level “culture” efforts, but through intentional experiences that help people truly see one another.

Here are five meaningful ways organizations can foster deeper human connection within their teams:

1. Create interdepartmental problem-solving teams.

One of the fastest ways to break down silos is to invite people from different departments to work together on real challenges.

Instead of leadership solving everything in isolation, create cross-functional committees to tackle issues like communication, onboarding, recognition, staffing, resident experience, or workplace culture.

When a housekeeper, nurse, dining server, maintenance technician, and department leader sit at the same table solving a shared problem, something powerful happens: People stop seeing “departments” and start seeing human beings.

Empathy grows when people understand the pressures each other carry.

2. Build structured listening opportunities.

Most organizations collect feedback. Far fewer create spaces where people genuinely feel heard.

Consider facilitated listening sessions where employees are invited to share:

• What’s making work harder right now?
• What’s one thing leaders may not fully see?
• What helps people feel valued here?
• What gets in the way of connection?

The key is not defensiveness.
The key is curiosity.

People don’t need leaders to have all the answers immediately. But they deeply need to know someone is listening. Then what do you do? See tip number one. :) 

3. Replace some “events” with facilitated human experiences.

Pizza parties are fine.
But connection requires interaction.

Instead of simply gathering people in a room, intentionally facilitate experiences that help employees learn each other’s stories.

Try:
• Story-sharing exercises
• “What people may not know about me” conversations
• Gratitude circles
• Team appreciation experiences
• Paired conversations across departments
• Activities where employees reflect on meaningful moments in their work.

People work differently when they know each other’s humanity. Don't just throw a party. Build workplace connections. 

4. Create ongoing rituals of visibility and appreciation.

Connection is built in repetition.

Organizations with strong cultures often create consistent rituals that help people feel seen:

• Leaders making intentional rounds - we call it "Red Carpet Rounding"
• Beginning meetings with appreciation or ask "What's Your Celebration?"
• Peer-to-Peer Recognition
• Celebrating personal milestones
• Sharing stories of impact (i.e. Stories Worth Sharing)

Not a performative recognition program, but true human connection and appreciation. 

5. Teach leaders how to facilitate connection instead of just managing tasks. 

Many leaders were promoted because they’re operationally strong, not because they know how to build belonging.

But connection is a skill set. I can't tell you how many times new managers in our leadership development program say something like: "We get promoted into these positions and are expected to know how to deal with these situations, but we're winging it. Until now (meaning the session they are in), I had no idea how to handle team member conflict." 

When we learn how to better interact human-to-human, we will resolve many of our workplace challenges. To do that, we must get in the same room together and intentionally connect! 

Donna Cutting, CSP is an author and keynote speaker who helps organizations build workplaces rooted in human connection, inspired leadership, and red-carpet customer service.