Introductions Might Be Getting in the Way of Building Meaningful Relationships

When we introduce people to each other, we typically open with titles, companies, schools, affiliations and achievements. Is it any wonder that connections feel transactional? That data might serve a purpose once a relationship is established, but when we start with it, it invites people to rank, compare and categorize us before they know anything about us, curtailing the possibility of bonding over shared humanity. In a world full of contact but starving for connection, we need to rethink the introduction itself.

In response to a post-pandemic world that intensified the way people first encountered one another through profiles, platforms and titles, Riaz Patel founded ConnectEffect in 2022 with the aim of restoring human-to-human authentic connection.

ConnectEffect has people participate in deep conversations with strangers for an hour as a studio audience in a TV show format. The mission is to to decrease isolation, alienation and polarization by building trust among strangers. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from Fast Company.