How to spark “awe” at your next meeting or workshop

I have been designing and facilitating meetings and leadership programs for two decades. While every group has a specific set of needs and goals—and I tailor the plan accordingly—I also keep track of trends. I am noticing what people need now more than ever is a catalyst to collaborate and work together. Whereas in the past simply spending time together may have been enough to get a group to gel, I am finding that we need to be much more intentional about the time we spend together, so we truly maximize the opportunity for exchange and connection.

Workplace & societal trends

​The backdrop is the world around us. The trends in society at large are mirrored in any workplace. We are in the age of distraction, we are facing significant ideological divisions, in many workplaces there is strain due to return-to-office policies, and, well, general stress. All these trends inform the employee experience for everyone from individual contributors to executive leaders.

What the world needs now is “awe"

As I participated in the CliffsNotes Book Club last month, and Susan Connolly presented highlights from Dacher Keltner’s book, “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life,” I was really inspired.

Keltner defines awe as “the emotion we experience when we encounter vast mysteries that we don’t understand.” (For more on the book, read this brief article and check out the notes on the CliffsNotes Book Club portal.)
​
In particular, I was moved by the science behind the impact awe has on the body. As Keltner explains in the book, awe is a powerful emotion. When you have moments of awe where you are moved to tears or feeling chills, your vagus nerve is activated. This brings you to a deep sense of calm.

---

Awe at work

In the workplace, creating opportunities like this can help people lean into that space of being open, demonstrating vulnerability, becoming more creative in brainstorming, and zooming out to see the bigger picture.
​
Keltner’s book looks at awe from different angles, and one of the types of awe he describes is called “collective effervescence.” This is the term Keltner uses to describe the feeling you may have had being part of a group performing a line dance or doing the wave in a large stadium. When engaging in such activities, it’s not uncommon to feel a moment of euphoria, but also for heartbeats to synchronize!

Here are some tips for making way for awe at your next workshop or meeting

• Music – Music can set the tone and serve as a mental escape from the daily grind. It’s a safe way to provoke an emotional reaction and to create calm. For all-day events, I love playing music as people enter the meeting room in the morning. I also sometimes use it during break time or during activities.
• Movie Time – When I have a video to share with a group, I am often tempted to send it in advance as a way to save time during the meeting or workshop. However, watching it together is an opportunity for a shared moment that enhances the experience—and discussion. This is why laugh tracks were added to sit coms years ago. We respond and engage differently when we are part of an audience.
• Nature – Nature is not typically present in the workplace, but when I can introduce it, it adds an element of awe. For a recent leadership program in which we were developing the group’s skills in the area of “enterprise thinking,” I had everyone bring a scenic photo that they liked. Showing the pictures of different nature scenes helped set the stage for thinking of how different elements fit (and work) together—in nature as in any workplace.
• Moral Beauty – We learned from Keltner’s book that acts of moral kindness are the number one source of “awe.” This resonated, and I often seek out team building activities in support of a charity or cause. For example, I recently worked with a group to build bicycles that would be donated to a children’s charity. The group had to collaborate in order to “earn” the tools and supplies needed to complete the task, and everyone was motivated to deliver the assembled bikes to children. Such a great day!

 
How have you experienced awe at work? What would you add to the list?