AWE, lurkers, and 200 hours to friendship
What I’m left thinking about from CMX Summit
Earlier this month, I gave a 7-minute hot take at CMX Summit on The Power of Awe in Experience Design—how to create moments that invite people to feel, connect, and remember.
The challenge? It had to be practical. One clear, tangible idea people could use in their own work. So I shared my AWE Framework—a three-part tool to help shift people from passive attendees to present participants.
Other standout moments from two days of community-building:
📉 Gianna Whitver, CEO & Co-founder of Cybersecurity Marketing Society, gave a fantastic hot take about how over-measuring engagement can actually harm community health. Her reminder? A good strategy makes space for lurkers, too. Silence doesn’t mean absence.
💬 Kat Vellos’ keynote has been echoing in my head. She referenced Professor Jeffrey Hall’s research showing it takes around 50 hours to move from acquaintance to casual friend, 100 hours for a regular friend, and 200+ hours to build a close friendship. Time matters—and the spaces we build are either accelerating or delaying those hours.
🌀 Paz Pisarski, Co-founder of The Community Collective, shared her CODA framework (Cut, Own, Delegate, Automate) and how to build a community that can run without you. Making an excellent case for eliminating bottlenecks.
🍿 Watch List | Join or Die
If you haven’t seen the Join or Die documentary yet, this is your sign to add it to your watch list. Based on Robert Putnam’s seminal book Bowling Alone, it’s a rallying cry for rebuilding the social fabric through gathering.
🎤 This CreativeMornings talk by co-director Pete Davis is a great behind-the-scenes look at how the film came to be.
💎 Internet Treasures:
- Ye Olde Blog Roll: A humanly curated list of 714 fine personal & independent blogs and sites that are updated regularly. No algorithms ever! (Seen in Dense Discovery)
- Why Voice Notes are an Act of Love A reflection on how voice notes can become powerful gestures of intimacy and connection.
✨ Something to Try
If you facilitate or lead teams, you’ve probably struggled with finding non-cringey icebreakers or team activities that go beyond “fun facts” and actually build trust. You're not alone.
One of my go-tos is SessionLab’s library of facilitation tools—it’s full of thoughtful, usable ideas. A favorite: the 9 Dimensions exercise (easy to recreate on Miro), which offers a quick heatmap of how your team is feeling across key areas of your work.
⏳ Community Council Deadline
Applications for Community Council (Oct 14–17, in Normandy) are closing soon!
If you’ve been thinking about it, or have someone in your world who’d thrive in this space, now’s the time. The agenda is fully shaped by participants, and spots are filling up.
Until next time—keep gathering with intention.
—Christina
Founder, Community Council & BoardingPass
