Connection Café
Refresh. Reset.
Reconnect.
Whether you’re heading back to the office, continuing to work from home, or creating a hybrid of the two, let’s come together again!
Connection Café
Refresh. Reset.
Reconnect.
Whether you’re heading back to the office, continuing to work from home, or creating a hybrid of the two, let’s come together again!
The pandemic forced us to adapt to new ways of doing business. We learned to work remotely and get things things done efficiently and effectively wherever we were. Some of us even enjoyed it!
But something important was still missing:
human connection.
The lighthearted banter, exchange of stories and spontaneous conversation that happens at the water cooler, the coffee station, or in the break room: these are the casual but absolutely necessary encounters that bring people together and magically knit individuals into a team.
In conversation after conversation with leaders, I heard the lament that their teams missed those lively encounters with their colleagues. And I wondered, “How can we replicate those moments online?”
That’s how the Connection Café was born.
A Connection Cafe is a lighthearted gathering to rebuild relationships through playful activities and casual conversations that spark warmth, laughter and (of course) connection. It started as a virtual event and is now expanding into in-person events as we begin to gather face-to-face again.
Come together again at a Connection Cafe!
Connection Cafes aren’t just about creating feel-good moments for your team – though that’s certainly part of the goal. They are about strengthening understanding, camaraderie and communication, ensuring your team works better together long after the gathering is over.
The process couldn’t be simpler. You decide on the purpose and set the theme (if any). Then I design an hour or two of purposeful fun that will put a smile on people’s faces and a spring back into your collective step.
Let’s talk about strengthening your team’s bonds with a Connection Cafe!
What People Are Saying
We’ve tried many things to keep our team connected throughout the pandemic, but nothing has been as restorative or effective as Avril’s Connection Café, which offered us many points of connection, sparked great conversations, and uplifted us at a time when we felt ground down. Thanks to Avril’s brilliant facilitation skills, even the quietest people participated eagerly and commented that they felt appreciated and heard by their colleagues. Weeks later, we’re still recalling some of the stories we shared, and smiling together as we remember some of the session’s special moments. I unreservedly recommend the Connection Café to any leader seeking to engage their team and to build camaraderie, strength and resilience across an organization.
I had a wonderful time at the Connection Café and really enjoyed the activities Avril led us through, creating an opportunity to relax and engage with new and old connections. Avril was a joyful and incandescent presence, leading us through a series of well-organized team-building activities and creating much-needed space for fun, connection, and rejuvenation that is often lacking in the virtual world in these uncertain times. I left feeling energized and excited to continue collaborating with my colleagues to address important socio-ecological issues with newfound passion and appreciation for each other.
The Connection Cafe was a really great experience with Avril. I was a bit unsure about how it would go, considering I’ve only ever interacted with many folks at SPEC in a professional sense. But by the end of it, I felt much closer to everyone and it helped encourage me to continue in this fight for the climate surrounded by such great people. If I had to distill it down to one sentence, I’d say “genuine bonding experience during a designated time for fun.”
