The value of real connections at online and hybrid events
Yes, we’re more connected to each other than ever before due to online events and social media. But it’s nowhere near real connections! In this blog, we dive into the theory of why we need real connections, even if we are joining events online or in a hybrid form. How do you get as close as possible to the real deal, and facilitate connections that move people?
We need each other not just to share incredible stories, but also to mirror ourselves (yep, just like monkeys do!) or to gain new perspectives. Our whole self-image is built up during interactions with others, our self esteem is stimulated and studies have shown that connections genuinely improve our physical being. Connecting with others can lower anxiety and depression, help us regulate our emotions, lead to higher self-esteem and empathy, and actually improve our immune systems. By neglecting our need to connect, we put our health at risk.
What happens in our brain?
As we communicate and connect with others, our brains trigger a neurochemical cocktail that makes us feel either good or bad, depending on the conversation. Feel good conversations trigger higher levels of dopamine (a neurotransmitter responsible for feeling pleasure), oxytocin (responsible for warm, fuzzy feelings), endorphins (diminish the perception of pain) and other biochemicals that make us feel like we’re on top of the world.
The other side of the spectrum
Loneliness and social isolation are twice as harmful as obesity is to physical and mental health. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a much higher percentage of human interaction occurs online, which is a tad more lonely than normal.
Kelly Haer (Philosopher and Relationship-intelligence expert) said: “Technology can be the junk food of communication where we’re just exchanging tiny bits of information over text and we’re really missing out on accessing our full relationship capacity.”
With this in mind, we encourage you to make use of interactive tools as a springboard to create real and meaningful connections. If you facilitate the connections, the conversation might flow effortlessly. And if not effortlessly, people might need a little nudge – but we’ve got the right tools for you.
Building real connections
Humans are creatures of habit – we look for things that we know. Think about it: when you are at an on-site networking event, you try to find common ground with the person you’re talking to! If you share the love for singing in the shower, it creates a bond and sparks the conversation (“Which song is your favorite to sing? I always sing Careless Whisper!”). On our platform, an AI matches you with the people that seem to have similar interests, expertise or field of work. As an event organizer, this saves you the hassle of having to come up with topics – our AI does that for you! A great tool to have.
Perceive the tools as … tools!
When you host your event online with Let’s Get Digital, we provide you with plenty of tools to facilitate these conversations and nudge people into connecting! To make sure the online experience is not just over when we close the screen, but establishes itself in our brain and creates a memory that will last forever.
With things like a network carousel, the possibility to chat with each other at almost any time and to interact with each other by throwing tomatoes, we make it possible to establish a connection.
If that’s not enough, we can shake things up with our earthquake feature. By creating a common event, we give people something to talk about or fall back to when the conversation stalls.
Of course, it is up to you to fill your event with inspiring workshops, speakers and activities. But we trust you bring your A-game, and only need our features a little bit to create sparkling fireworks.
TLDR? Experience for yourself what we’re talking about!
Put your connection skills to the test in our online demo.
