Learning from our Pilot Programme

Over the last six months we’ve delivered the Connection Heroes pilot programme with five completely different cohorts at five completely different types of organisations:

• People managers at a specialist innovation centre employing 700 people across 8 sites
• The risk directorate of a building society employing 1200+ people on a hybrid model
• The whole team of fully remote digital marketing agency specialising in the games sector
• The leadership team of a charitable organisation supporting neurodivergent individuals
• A cross-department group from a procurement marketplace operating a hybrid model.

The goal of the programme was to help learners and leaders understand why improving human connection is good for people and profit and to give them the mindset, skillset and toolset to build better connections with colleagues, wherever they may be based.

Through a series of six workshops, we covered topics including:

• Why human connection matters in our workplace, and what blocks it 
• How humans are hard-wired for connection and how this affects team dynamics
• How to improve communication and collaboration in distributed teams
• How to run  inclusive online meetings that engage and build connection
• How to manage your nervous system and maintain connection at times of stress
• How to have difficult conversations and give honest, effective feedback

Most elements of the programme landed well, but we’ve made some important changes based on learner feedback:

• Refined the learner journey to form a clearer development path
• Simplified the programme to five sessions instead of six
• Removed some models that proved too complex for short sessions
• Increased the number of discussions in pairs and small groups
• Added community membership to enable practice and further learning

One result that surprised us was the high level of synergy across our very different cohorts. When asked why human connection matters within their organisation, the same kind of answers were given by almost every group:

• We all need to work together to achieve shared goals 
• We need a way to validate our ideas, to know we’re doing a good job 
• We sometimes need to vent, to offload, informally as well as formally
• We need different perspectives to achieve the best outcomes
• We need to learn from each other – informally, not just through formal programmes
• We need to understand each other more so we can communicate better
• Work feels better and more enjoyable when we’re more connected.

We also found that the same kind of ‘Connection Blockers’ were making life difficult, regardless of whether colleagues worked together in-person or remotely:

• We have loads of tools and platforms to connect but we don’t use them effectively
• Our meetings and interactions are transactional – we don’t prioritise relationships
• We avoid challenging people or giving critical feedback as we don’t want to upset anyone
• We have pockets of trust but there are other spaces where we don’t feel safe to speak up
• Different departments evolve their own habits and rules, creating barriers between teams
• We find it hard to ask for help as we don’t want to be a burden to our colleagues

Through the course, learners developed and practised the mindset, skillset and toolset to address these Blockers and prioritise human connection in their day-to-day interactions. This included the creation of “Connection Rituals” – small collective habits that we designed together in the programme, and which learners are now embedding with their teams.

In terms of the impact on learners and organisations, the feedback we’ve had is incredible:

• 97% feel more able to build better connections at work
• 86% feel better connected to people in their cohort

Learners have also shared how they’ve found the course and how it’s now helping them:

“It was a safe and sharing space where real connections were made between the cohort.”

“Connection Heroes has helped to provide the language and framework in which to express my connection needs and better understand others.”

“I now have a much clearer understanding of the science of communication – fundamentals of delivering and receiving to enhance the effectiveness.”

“I feel like I now have a number of tools that I can apply to my work to foster connect and spot where I can nurture similar behaviours with colleagues.”

“It was great to see people with their guards down and being human!”

“Really enjoyed the sessions, it’s great to have that understanding of how other people work, need to receive feedback and work generally, and I can now make a conscious decision to not treat everyone the same and tailor how I work with others.”

“I’ve really enjoyed taking the time and space to dig into how we, as a company, all communicate with one another, see each other and also challenge the behaviours that were getting in the way of better connection.”

“It’s been really helpful, engaging and enjoyable. Thoroughly effective and learned skills we can only build on and develop positive change and outcomes. Thank you so much!”

“This has helped grow my confidence in myself and building connections.”

The Pilot Programme has helped us learn so much about what leaders, managers and teams feel is important and what skills they need to help. Our revised programme and community offer will be open to five new companies from Q2 2025. 

We also have a set of brand new workshops that can be integrated with existing Management Development or L&D programmes, if you’re not ready to commit to the whole programme.

To book a discovery call and find out how Connection Heroes could help you build a culture of connection, drop a line to di@connectionheroes.co.uk.