3-Minute Connection Practice

Time needed: 3 minutes (60 seconds each)

Setting: When with colleagues, loved ones, or even strangers

Purpose: Creating moments of genuine recognition and human connection

Present Recognition (60 seconds)

What: Pause your activity and turn fully toward the other person. Make eye contact if appropriate. Take one breath to arrive completely. Silently notice something specific about them - their effort, a quality they’re expressing, or simply their presence.

Notice: Your habitual level of attention to others, any shift in your body when fully present, what becomes visible when you truly look.

Why: Interrupts autopilot interactions, honors the other’s full humanity, creates foundation for authentic exchange.

Expressed Appreciation (60 seconds)

What: Share one specific, genuine observation about something you value in this person. Use “I” language: “I notice…” or “I appreciate…” Keep it simple and true. Allow a moment of silence after speaking.

Notice: Any discomfort with expressing appreciation, how specific versus general comments land differently, the space between speaking and response.

Why: Makes the invisible visible, nurtures growth through recognition, creates positive emotional resonance.

Receiving Response (60 seconds)

What: After acknowledging someone, stay fully present for their response - whether words, expression change, or simply energy shift. Resist filling silence or moving quickly to next topic. If appropriate, ask “What’s that like to hear?”

Notice: Your comfort with their response, tendency to discount or deflect, how recognition ripples between you.

Why: Completes the circle of acknowledgment, allows impact to land, deepens mutual recognition.