KEYNOTE 02
Earned Connection in the Age of AI
What to do with the hours AI just gave you — and why the answer is other people.
A FEW OF THE 800+ ROOMS CHRIS HAS BEEN INVITED INTO
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WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
The faster the tools get, the thinner the team.
60% of employees consistently thank AI. Only 56% consistently thank their human colleagues. When work gets hard, 39% are as likely to turn to a machine as to a colleague. Friction was never the enemy of connection. It was the place connection happened.
WHAT YOUR PEOPLE LEAVE WITH
Audience outcomes.
- 01
Why speed is quietly undermining trust
The hidden cost of removing friction from every workflow — and how to spot it in your own team.
- 02
Trust is an outcome, not a starting point
What has to happen repeatedly before people believe you mean it.
- 03
The three pillars of Earned Connection
The framework for keeping humans in the loop as AI takes the task work.
- 04
PASTA, the behavioral engine
Five moves that turn good intentions into actual contact between people.
- 05
Human presence as the competitive advantage
The one thing your competitors cannot automate, and how to build the muscle for it.
THE FRAMEWORK THEY TAKE BACK TO WORK
PASTA, the behavioral engine of Earned Connection
PASTA is the behavioral engine of Earned Connection: five moves a team can run the same day, in the room they're already in.
- 1Pause
- 2Ask
- 3Savor
- 4Take Action
- 5Appreciate
THE ROOM REMEMBERS IT
The room remembers it long after the event.
“Chris Schembra's keynote at the Chase senior leadership conference was a transformative experience, weaving empathy, vulnerability, and gratitude seamlessly into our corporate culture. His ability to foster genuine connections left our executive team inspired and equipped with invaluable tools for fostering deeper relationships both within the workplace and beyond.”
“Chris has a unique gift in connecting with others to help us be our best selves at work! His thoughtful and authentic focus on gratitude in engaging ways fostered camaraderie amongst the Citi team during our Gratitude Experience, building true connections and a meaningful shared experience.”
"On the battlefield I've seen the effect that energy and enthusiasm plays as a force multiplier. Chris brings a level of passion that permeates his audience and positively affects the morale of everyone he comes in contact with."
“Chris is a fiercely committed person to what he believes in, the Power of Human Connection through his keynotes and experiences. He is a person who brings the good out in others and his positive energy is contagious from the stage!"
"A completely new way to connect with our customers, prospects, and teams, but more importantly - a way for them all to connect with one-another! Chris Schembra is the inventor of this type of human connection construct, and never before has this been deployed in the world of Enterprise Software / Cloud."
"Many of our employees said this was the best 90 minutes they'd ever spent at Dell. I connected with someone that I had not before. It got deep and personal quick. We haven’t been able to connect like that, and people are really going through some things right now. The world is on fire right now and you're here to help them put out those fires."
“Chris, you radiated authenticity. A unique trait I hope to grow and develop myself. I took away so many nuggets of wisdom pertaining to our field, but with that out-of-the-box perspective. Something I feel that everyone needs and can benefit from, but rarely receive. One of our biggest goals from the keynote address and you pulled it off!”
“Chris Schembra kicked things off and led us through a keynote focused on gratitude. The room hung on every word (not an overstatement) as he offered up tactical strategies for enhancing our emotional well-being and how to build community, and connection within our everyday work.”
EVERY KEYNOTE IS CUSTOMIZED
Chris meets with your team before the event to shape the stories, research, and audience experience around your goals. Keynotes run 45–90 minutes, in person or virtual.
Bring this keynote to your next event.
Tell us your audience, your date, and what you want to be different afterward.