Short reads on connection, trust and being remembered at work.
The Small Moments Effect, one page at a time. Essays, notes and Connection Rules from Cara Cunniff on the small, learnable behaviours that decide who gets heard, trusted and chosen.
Pillar essay
Why small talk matters at work
Small talk is not filler. It is the quiet infrastructure of trust at work, the way people signal safety, bridge difference and build the bond that carries the big conversations. A definitive guide.
ReadPillar essay
How to build connection in hybrid and remote teams
Hybrid work broke the small human signals that hold teams together. This is a practical playbook for rebuilding connection across time zones, screens and schedules, for leaders and the teams they run.
ReadTrust Rule
Put your phone away first
Attention is one of the clearest signals of respect. Before trust grows, distraction has to leave the room.
ReadVisibility Rule
Stay thirty seconds longer
Many useful conversations happen in the final moment, just after most people have decided to leave.
ReadBelonging Rule
Look for the person standing alone
Inclusion often begins with one ordinary act of social courage.
ReadTrust Rule
Let conversations breathe
Not every pause needs rescuing. Sometimes people need space before they say what matters.
ReadVisibility Rule
Follow up while it is still warm
Most relationships fade through hesitation, not rejection.
ReadBelonging Rule
Leave people feeling bigger
The most memorable people make others feel more interesting, capable and seen.
Read
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