Human connection is a foundational driver of belonging, trust, and collective success. When designed intentionally, it strengthens teams, strengthens community resilience, and helps people navigate life’s biggest transitions with support rather than isolation. For leaders shaping culture, engagement, and impact, connection represents both an opportunity and a leadership responsibility.

In this workshop, US Chamber of Connection’s, Carolyn Thayer-Azoff, introduces social connection as an emerging cause area and explores what national data reveals about the state of connection in America. Drawing on findings from the 2026 Six Points of Connection Report and the Social Connection Index, she will share how leaders can take a more intentional approach to designing for connection across organizations and communities.

Grounded in new national data, the session explores where connection is strongest, where it becomes vulnerable, and how moments of transition create predictable risks for isolation. Aaron will introduce the Six Points of Connection, a framework that helps leaders identify connection gaps and apply practical strategies to strengthen belonging, trust, support, and bridging across organizations and communities.

Then, participants will participate in a Connection Design Lab activity to design practical shifts they could make to improve connection within engagement experiences.

Attendees will leave with actionable takeaways on how to:

• Identify where connection is most vulnerable within a workforce, community, or stakeholder group, particularly during moments of transition
• Apply the Six Points of Connection using playbook strategies that strengthen belonging, trust, support, and bridging
• Evolve connection efforts from one-time engagement programs into durable connection infrastructure
• Embed connection into existing systems, roles, and rhythms to reverse the crisis of connection within a generation