WORKPLACE BELONGING KEYNOTE SPEAKER
We need connection at work just as much as we do outside of it
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Dr Marisa G. Franco Brings Real Expertise
1. Science-backed expertise
2. Clear and Actionable
3. Customized for your audience
4. Real World Experience
5. Easy to work with
We need connection just as much inside of work as we do outside of it.
Here's why:
Loneliness is as toxic as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
Employees who belong experience less job turnover, better job performance, and less sick days which results in an annual savings of $52 million for a 10K-person company.
One nationally representative study of 30 European countries and 48,420 people found that the best predictor of how meaningful we find work is our relationships there.
Keynote One
Belonging at Work (for Everyone)
Rates of loneliness at work have skyrocketed. With the rise of hybrid and remote models, Zoom meetings have replaced hallway conversations, and employees now interact more with digital platforms than with one another. Where connection was once embedded in the rhythms of the workday, it has become something employees must deliberately—and often struggle to—build. Yet in workplaces where people buck these trends and truly belong, job performance increases by 56%, retention doubles, and employee well-being significantly improves.
Drawing from Dr. Franco’s PhD research on connection, her popular university-wide courses, and her NYT best-selling book on connection, Dr. Franco addresses:
- Compelling, accessible science that highlights the critical role of belonging in performance, retention, innovation, and engagement.
- Common misconceptions that undermine connection in hybrid, remote, and in-person environments—including the belief that connection “just happens.”
- A four-step, practical, evidence-based framework—the IDEA model (Initiate, Disclose, Expose, Affirm)—to help employees form meaningful, trusting relationships.
- Concrete case examples illustrating how real employees and companies have successfully increased belonging across distributed teams.
- An actionable checklist of science-backed behaviors every leader and employee can use to cultivate belonging, psychological safety, and collaborative culture.
By the end of this keynote, participants will gain a clear, research-driven toolkit for creating workplaces where connection is intentional, resilient, and core to organizational success—no matter where people are working.
Keynote Two
Belonging at Work for High-Achieving Women
- The science of belonging for high-achieving women, including how connection strengthens performance, combats burnout, and supports advancement
- The IDEA Model—Initiate, Disclose, Expose, Affirm—an evidence-based, practical framework that helps women form meaningful, trusting relationships at work.
- Hybrid dynamics that disproportionately affect women, including isolation in remote roles, emotional labor expectations, and barriers to mentorship and sponsorship.
- Concrete examples from women and organizations that have successfully increased belonging and collaboration across distributed teams.
- An actionable checklist of science-backed behaviors women and allies can use to cultivate connection
Keynote Three
How to Make Friends in College
Rates of loneliness among students are higher than ever. With the rise of social media, smartphones, and digital distraction, many students are turning to their devices for the connection they used to find in one another. Constant notifications have increased anxiety; fear of rejection has intensified; and with online interaction replacing face-to-face experiences, students are simply out of practice when it comes to building real friendships.
Yet instead of recognizing these trends as a product of our changing technological landscape, students often blame themselves—believing they’re “bad at making friends,” “socially awkward,” or simply not meant to belong. But the research is clear: in schools and universities where students feel a genuine sense of belonging, they earn better grades, experience stronger mental health, and are far more likely to persist through college.
- Why belonging is one of the strongest predictors of academic success, persistence, and well-being—and why investing in people is just as important as investing in classes.
- How to stop doom-scrolling and use social media in ways that strengthen—not weaken—connection.
- The most common myths that hold students back from friendship, including the belief that connection should be effortless.
- The IDEA Model for friendship—Initiate, Disclose, Expose, Affirm—a four-step, research-based roadmap for forming meaningful friendships.
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