Discover the Untapped Value of Human Connection

In 2015, keynote speaker Rob Lawless began a journey to make 10,000 new friends. 

Today, Rob shares insights on the transformative impact of intentional connections in creating positive, inclusive, and empowering organizational cultures. 

The power of meaningful and intentional connection.

As companies strive to stay competitive in a fast-paced and ever-changing market, there is an increased need to attract, engage and retain top talent.

According to BetterUp Labs, employees who feel excluded from the workplace experience a 25% reduction in productivity, as well as a 50% greater risk of employee turnover.

Through his keynote Rob empowers leaders to unlock the value of meaningful connections to foster belonging, innovation, and opportunities within their organization.

Rob's interactive and captivating keynote will take you through his incredible experience of connecting with thousands of people and how meaningful connections can drive growth and innovation.

Audiences will walk away from Rob’s keynote with the ability to:

• Foster a sense of belonging & community - By leveraging the potential of deliberate and significant connections, companies can nurture a heightened sense of unity and belonging within their workforce.

• Broaden their collective vision- By embracing diverse perspectives through intentional interactions, organizations can expand their shared outlook and drive innovation.

• Unlock unprecedented opportunities - Meaningful connections pave the way for discovering untapped possibilities, enabling corporations to excel in their respective fields.

During his keynote, Rob also shares his interactive FRIEND framework which makes creating lasting and meaningful connections easy (even for introverts!) and intentional. 

Rob has used this to create meaningful connections with over 5,600 people from 90+ countries.

With the FRIEND framework, audiences walk away with the tools they need to:

• Facilitate conversations- By knowing what questions to ask, individuals will have the ability to dig deeper in their conversations to connect on a deeper level and create strong relationships.

• Practice Active Listening- Active listening will ensure that conversations are meaningful and productive allowing for greater understanding and connection between people.

• Set Intentions For Connection- Becoming more intentional about connection will help audience members tap into the compounding value of connection over time.

Through his experience in connecting with over 5,600 people from 90+ countries, Rob demonstrates how investing in human connection can lead not only to better business outcomes, but also create more inclusive environments where everyone feels welcomed and valued.

Ready to put the power of intentional connection to work for your organization?

Your audience will leave inspired and ready to create meaningful connections with their teams and customers.

Meet Rob Lawless

​My name is Rob Lawless. I am a 32-year-old originally from Norristown, PA, and I love getting to know new people.

In May 2013, I graduated with highest honors from Penn State University, earning a Finance degree along with minors in Accounting and Entrepreneurship. Following my graduation, I started my professional journey as a Business Analyst in Strategy & Operations at Deloitte Consulting. Although it was my dream job at that time, I decided to make a typical Millennial move after about a year and a half – I accepted a significant pay cut and left behind the Powerpoint presentations and spreadsheets to join RJMetrics, a laid-back, $24 million venture-funded company.

At RJMetrics, my role was a sales representative, which involved cold emailing people daily and requesting a 30-minute phone call to discuss our product offering.

I started this project to see if I could meet with people to chat for an hour for absolutely no reason and held my first meeting on November 11, 2015. I was rejected way less, the responses were all positive and encouraging, and I’ve met amazing people with incredible backgrounds who would all consider themselves normal.

Then on Monday, June 20, 2016, RJMetrics was acquired by a larger company, which didn’t require my position, so I dove in full-time on my endeavor to meet 10,000 different people for an hour each.

Since embarking on this journey, I've connected with over 5,400 individuals from more than 90 countries worldwide. I've traveled across the nation six times and have been featured in various prominent media outlets, including Ryan Seacrest's nationally syndicated radio show "On Air with Ryan Seacrest," the Canadian national morning show "Your Morning," and the TODAY Show with Hoda and Jenna! I even made an appearance on the Kelly Clarkson Show alongside Jane Lynch and Jo Koy (watch below), with an audience comprising about 100 friends from the project – an incredible experience!

I'm passionate about adventure and potential – throughout the past seven years, I've found that this project embodies both aspects. I am extremely satisfied with its progress so far and eagerly look forward to giving it my all to see where the future takes me!

“Rob was EXCELLENT. Everyone loved him. He is such an engaging and energetic speaker with such a warm personality. I really think he enjoyed getting to know everyone during the welcome reception. The  survey results were all positive!”

• Ruthie Dent, Events & Marketing Manager, North Carolina Dental

“Rob’s session was the perfect opening keynote for our event.  His framework for meeting new people really set a tone of community for our conference.  He gave our audience tools to use that same day to create connections and network which was a goal for our attendees during the conference. His message is one that every leader, manager, and employee should hear.  In HR we talk often about building community and connection through our culture, but we don’t enough teach people how to do that organically.  Rob’s framework provides actionable ways to actually form those connections and get to know others which we know will help build a more inclusive community!”

• Bethany J. Adams, MA, SHRM-SCP Associate Director | Villanova University

“ Best DEI session in the past 2 years!”

• Mariovy Gonzalez, DEI Team, Amazon

"One of the most impactful presentations I've seen this year. A clear call for improving communication, but more importantly making the effort to connect more deeply."

• Credit Union National Association

“Our president loved the event so much! They will be incorporating the breakout rooms into our next quarterly all hands meeting to keep the connections going. Just wanted to pass along the impact!”

• Chemistry Agency

"I loved the active participation. I really enjoyed meeting colleagues that I otherwise would never have interacted with in my normal job duties.”

• Meeting planner, Shell

“Love love love this presentation. So refreshing. So engaging. So human!! More of this!!!”

• Attendee, SHRM Conference 2022

“Rob’s presentation, the closing session of our conference, provided an upbeat, hopeful reminder to our attendees that human connections are a sort of currency, not only for business success but for our individual well-being. 

The better we know one another, the more likely we are to find shared experiences, values, hopes, dreams – and that sharing can enrich us all. In a short time, Rob managed to reveal for us that potential.”

• Meeting Planner, Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding

“Rob's message is exactly what young people need to hear today. In a world that's emerging from solitude to connection, he models the ownership of interaction that empowers teens (and adults!) to bridge the gaps in their world. Connection isn't just transactional with Rob... and his message doesn't require us to imagine ourselves in an impossible or life-changing scenario. Rob asks us to change our lives in the little things, and that's probably exactly the message our kids, schools and communities actually need.”

• Director, New York FFA

“The Survey resulted in a perfect score. It’s the first time we have ever had a speaker get all 5s. We started tracking in 2015.”

• Meeting Planner, American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management - Philadelphia Chapter

Rob Lawless on The Kelly Clarkson Show: https://youtu.be/ZIzbL0p14CY

Rob Lawless on The Today Show: https://youtu.be/9yDkk4u9wrM

Rob Lawless on ABC World News Now: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=727868527714180