Rob Lawless

Storyteller, Man on a Mission to Spend 1 Hour, 1:1, with 10,000 Different People

Topics: Communication, Inspirational & Motivational, Storytelling, Attitude, Corporate Culture, Creativity, Employee Engagement, Personal Development, Professional Development, TED Speakers, Future of Work, Health & Well-Being, Media

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Biography

Rob Lawless is a man on a mission to spend one hour, 1:1, with 10,000 different people. Since starting his project in November 2015, he’s met over 5,400 people from 90+ countries and documented their stories through his Instagram, @robs10kfriends. He’s also been featured by press sources, including the Kelly Clarkson Show, the TODAY Show, and On Air with Ryan Seacrest, and has been invited to meet by media figures like Drew Scott and Zach King.

Using his experience from over 4,500 conversations, Rob now educates corporations and universities on his approach to meeting new people. He runs a seminar through which he explains the FORD (family, occupation, recreation, dreams) conversation framework and immediately breaks attendees out into pairs to practice the techniques and form new connections.

To date, he’s been invited to speak at places, such as Amazon, TEDx, BCG Digital Ventures, Pepperdine, the University of Washington, Emory University and many more.

Rob is originally from Philadelphia, PA, holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Penn State University and worked for Deloitte Consulting and the venture-funded RJMetrics before taking his mission of connection full time.

Videos

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THE UNTAPPED VALUE OF HUMAN CONNECTION

In this session, you’ll learn about what influences our perception of the world, why intentional connection matters and how you can create belonging through understanding each other’s backstories.

Rob will share stories of how he’s run into his new friends in places far away from where he’s met them, what he’s learned from meeting the victim of a mass shooting and how he ended up flying in a plane that the pilot had built himself.

Furthermore, you’ll practice connecting with each other using the FORD framework (family, occupation, recreation, dreams) in 1:1 breakouts! You’ll learn the importance of goal setting in intentional connection, and afterwards will feel confident in unlocking the true potential of conversation!

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will leave this talk knowing how to:
1. Identify the 3 levels of value of human connection (sense of belonging, perspective, future opportunities)
2. Utilize the FORD framework to create new connections and empathy
3. Incorporate goal setting and reflection to achieve and inspire intentional human connection

Why This Talk Matters:

For 85 years (and counting), the Harvard Study of Adult Development has tracked an original group of 724 men and more than 1,300 of their male and female descendants over three generations. If they had to take all 85 years of the Harvard Study and boil it down to a single principle for living, it would be this: Good relationships keep us healthier and happier. If you want to
make one decision to ensure your own health and happiness, it should be to cultivate warm relationships of all kinds.

Right now, however, we live in a time when companies are struggling to attract, engage and retain talent. In a time when (per BetterUp Labs) employees who feel excluded experience a 25% loss in performance and a 50% greater risk of employee
turnover. Through Rob’s journey to meet 10,000 people, he’s learned how we can combat this loneliness. The answer lies in simple, intentional, and habitual connection. By constantly exposing ourselves to people outside of our circles, we increase our sense of belonging, we expand our perspectives, and we open the door to new opportunities.

Lying in the untethered bonds of our employees are new ideas, friendships, and solutions to complex problems. We simply need
to facilitate those connections.

Testimonials

Thank you, I loved the session! We are getting a lot of positive feedback! Someone sent me a message: ‘This is the best DEI session in the last 2 years.

– Mariovy Gonzalez, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Team, Amazon

This virtual workshop was a great balance of learning from Rob while also learning from other participants. His session helps frame the way we think about conversation, ourselves, and learning about others. What a great experience for students from around the world!

– Nedda Soleymani, Program Manager, University of Washington

After your Zoom event, I couldn’t stop telling my roommates about how much fun I had connecting with people and I wanted to show them more of what I learned. That has been one of the most engaging and refreshing Zoom meetings that I have ever been a part of.

– Jana Merca, Student Ambassador, University of Washington

Rob’s journey to tell other people’s stories is something everyone can relate to and it empowers others to see the world as a one large community where we just haven’t met everyone yet. His stories on meeting different people and how it open doors you didn’t even know could open is impactful and worth hearing.

– Leimkuehler, Social Media Coach, Charles Schwab

It was so great to work with you over the past few months, and I really appreciate all of the work you put into your talk. So many members of TEDxEmory and students on campus told me how much they enjoyed hearing you speak.

– Emily Silver, TEDx Club Member, Emory University