CHATS by Piedmont Peace Center

Yearning for some quality social interaction in a safe, structured setting? You are not alone!

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “social connection is a fundamental human need, as essential to survival as food, water and shelter” and “increasing social connection can enhance life satisfaction, educational attainment, and performance in the workplace.”

CHATS offers a way to counteract the growing lack of quality social connection in our communities and our homes. The US Surgeon General issued an advisory on the epidemic of loneliness, citing studies showing that we are feeling less connected, less trusting, and are spending less time engaged with friends in person. And while social media helps keep us connected when we cannot meet in person it is not a full substitute, leading famed psychotherapist and author Esther Perel to quip, “I have a thousand friends, but not a single person to feed my cat.”

Connection is at the heart of all of our community work. CHATS (Connecting Humans and Telling Stories) is simple, hands-on, and far more engaging, fulfilling, and fun than can be explained on paper. Words don’t do justice, but some have described it as “what every networking or icebreaking event ought to be.” Other comments include:

• “Absolutely loved this. I’m a very quiet, shy, anxious person so this was huge for me and very uplifting.”

• “Wow is not a good enough word but it’s the only one I can wrap my head around.”

• “I got fairly deep in under 5 minutes with 3 different people who I’ve never met.”

• “I learned more about everyone I talked to and found a way to turn an almost stranger into someone I understand more.”

• “Loved the intentional time for thought-provoking personal connections.”

These sessions are opportunities to foster genuine connections. You will get to connect with others in a setting where the rules are clear, the playing field is level, and the risk is minimized.

CHATS is built around three key pillars: practicing curiosity, challenging assumptions, and taking on the third chair perspective. Practicing curiosity allows us to push back against the judgments created by our own experiences, and is a powerful way to approach people, issues, and situations. Taking the time to check our assumptions can lead to connections in a community, and lets us take a helpful second look at the people, places, and things around us. Often, finding common ground between people involves taking a step back and processing why another person may feel a certain way. Even if beliefs and opinions aren’t changed, accepting differing viewpoints is a cornerstone of connecting with others.

Each CHATS session is different, so join us for as many as you want! Or reach out to us to plan CHATS for your organization. We envision CHATS as a wonderful option to build connection in businesses, classrooms, congregations, social groups, and more!