Find a speaker for a cultural inclusion day on everyday behaviours, workplace connection and belonging

At first glance, saying hello sounds almost too simple to matter. But in busy workplaces, where people are distracted, under pressure, working remotely across locations or communicating through screens, those small moments can easily slip away.

Someone walks into a room, and nobody looks up. A new starter joins a call, and nobody welcomes them. A colleague speaks, but everyone is half-listening while checking messages.

None of this may seem unusual. Perhaps I’ve just described your workplace. But over time, these tiny signals shape how people experience work. They tell people whether they are noticed. Whether they belong. Whether they feel comfortable enough to speak up, ask a question, share an idea or start a conversation.

And that matters to the organisation as much as it matters to the individual.

I believe there is a pressing commercial advantage for businesses that encourage these behaviours. Because when people know each other, listen properly and feel able to start conversations, work becomes easier. Teams become less siloed. People share knowledge sooner, ask for help faster and make better use of the experience around them.

Small moments of connection can help organisations become more cohesive, more responsive and better equipped to tackle challenges together.

The Power of Hello is not a lecture on manners or a reminder to “be nice”. It is a lively, practical keynote on how everyday communication builds happier, more successful workplaces.

I explore how simple acts, such as saying hello, using someone’s name, listening properly and making time for human connection, can help people feel seen, listened to and valued.

The keynote is designed to be positive, energising and easy to act on. It helps people notice the moments when connection is either built or missed, then gives them simple ways to do things differently straight away.

At its heart, The Power of Hello is about turning everyday interactions into moments of inclusion, confidence and belonging — so people feel more connected to each other and better able to work together.

Who is this keynote on workplace connection, inclusion and belonging for?

The Power of Hello is for everyone in an organisation, because everyone has a part to play in how work feels.

It is for employees who want to feel more connected to the people around them. It is for new starters who are still working out who everyone is and where they fit. It is for quieter colleagues who may not always find it easy to start conversations. It is for people working remotely, across sites, or in busy teams, where human moments can easily get squeezed out.

But it is absolutely for managers and leaders too.

Earlier in my career, I remember getting into a lift at the BBC with a very senior leader. He knew who I was. We had been in meetings together. I was much more junior than him, and he said nothing. He looked at his shoes until the lift doors opened. It sounds small, but I still remember how it made me feel: invisible, unwelcome, like part of the furniture.

That is why leaders have a particular responsibility here. Their everyday behaviour sets the tone. A senior person who looks up, says hello, uses someone’s name or takes a moment to listen can make someone feel welcome, noticed and included. A senior person who walks past, looks down or dives straight into the agenda can have the opposite effect.

And people notice. They really do.

This keynote is for organisations that want inclusion and belonging to show up in real life, not just in policies, values statements or posters on the wall. It is for businesses that want people to talk across teams, share knowledge, ask for help, build trust and feel confident enough to contribute.

Because when managers, leaders and colleagues all take responsibility for those everyday moments of connection, the organisation becomes more human, more joined-up and much easier to work in.

The Power of Hello is a light-touch way to kick-start a conversation about these issues in your organisation. It’s ideal for away days and all staff events, and can be delivered as a keynote or an interactive workshop, either in person or online.

What to expect from Penny Haslam’s motivational keynote: The Power of Hello

A warm, practical start

I start The Power of Hello by getting people to do the thing we are talking about. Say hello.

If people are joining remotely, I ask them to tell us where they are. Spare room? Kitchen table? Office? Car? Somewhere glamorous? Somewhere less glamorous? It is a simple way to paint a picture of who is in the room, even when the room spans multiple locations.

It also gets the point across straight away. Acknowledgement changes the feel of a session. When someone says hello, uses your name or notices something about where you are, you feel a little more present. A little more included. A little less like a square on a screen.

And I am clear from the start: this is not a lecture. It is not a new rulebook for how everyone must behave from now on. It is a lively, practical keynote full of ideas people can take, use and adapt in a way that feels natural to them.

The Power of Hello is not about forcing everyone to become endlessly chatty. It is about noticing the small human moments that make work feel warmer, easier and more connected.

Why saying hello matters to the success of organisations

I used to say hello for a living.

When I presented the business news on BBC Breakfast and the BBC News Channel, my job was to talk about the FTSE 100, share prices, inflation and all the other heavy numbers. But before all of that, there was always a very human moment: “Hello, good morning.”

That was the bit I liked because it was simple. It created a connection before the detail arrived.

Behind the scenes, though, it could feel very different. In one open-plan newsroom, people rarely said hello. Heads stayed down. Senior people did not always acknowledge others. Everyone was busy, important and slightly too cool for school.

And it made work harder. I didn’t always know who people were, what they did, what they were working on or how they might be able to help. I didn’t have their contacts, suggestions or experience at my fingertips. I was surrounded by talented people, but not properly connected to them.

That is why saying hello matters. It is not just a pleasantry at the start of the day. It is one way people become visible to each other. It is how colleagues begin to know who is around them, where knowledge sits and who they can talk to when they need help, advice or a fresh idea.

At work, connection is useful. It saves time. It opens doors. It makes asking a question feel easier. It helps people feel less isolated and more able to contribute.

So no, saying hello will not solve every problem in an organisation. Of course it won’t. But it is often the smallest possible start to something much more useful.

The everyday habits in the workplace that weaken the connection between colleagues

The keynote also looks at the everyday habits that quietly chip away at connection.

And I do mean every day. Cameras off in meetings. Heads down in offices. Phones on the table. Half-listening while checking messages. Sending an instant message to someone sitting on the same bank of desks, instead of just speaking to them.

We have become very plugged into digital communication. And of course, Teams, email and messaging are useful. I am not suggesting we all abandon technology and start wandering around the office with a clipboard and a fixed grin. But something gets lost when every interaction becomes typed.

A quick conversation can make the next bit of work easier. It can build trust. It can make a mistake easier to sort out. It can help someone in another department feel less like a faceless name at the end of an email.

The same is true online. When people join a call with cameras off, nobody says hello, and everyone dives straight into the agenda, the meeting may still happen, but the human connection is thinner. People can become boxes, initials or muted names on a screen.

These habits rarely come from bad intentions. People are busy. They are tired. They may feel awkward. They may not want to be seen on camera. They may think it is quicker to message than speak. But over time, these small choices shape how connected people feel to one another.

And when people feel less connected, work can become more clunky than it needs to be.

The business case for a more connected workplace that values positive everyday behaviours like saying hello

This is where The Power of Hello moves beyond workplace warmth.

In organisations, people are often surrounded by useful knowledge they are not using. Someone in another team has solved a similar problem before. Someone knows the right person to call. Someone understands why a process keeps getting stuck. Someone has seen the risk coming, but has not found the moment to say it.

That is the commercial value of everyday connection.

When people know each other, even a little, the organisation becomes more resourceful. People find answers faster. They ask better questions. They spot opportunities to collaborate. They understand more about how the business works beyond their own role, team or department.

When they don’t, the business quietly pays for it. Work gets duplicated. Problems take longer to solve. Good ideas stay local. Departments operate on assumptions. People spend time trying to work out who knows what, instead of getting on with the work.

So yes, The Power of Hello is about being human at work. But it is also about helping organisations become less wasteful, less siloed and better equipped to respond when things get difficult.

How encouraging colleagues to listen properly to each other creates a people feel more valued at work

I also spend time on listening, because saying hello is only the start.

Active listening can sound like a very technical term, but it really means paying proper attention. Tuning in. Not interrupting. Not preparing your brilliant next point while the other person is still speaking.

I see the opposite of this at family dinners sometimes. Everyone is chomping at the bit to talk. People are drawing breath, waiting for the gap, ready to get the next word in. And when that happens, you can feel it. You know when someone has not really listened to you.

Work can be like that too. A meeting moves quickly. Someone raises a point. Someone else jumps in. The conversation carries on, but the person who spoke may not feel heard.

So in the keynote, I ask people to think about what it means to give someone proper attention. Not a dramatic intervention. Just enough space to finish a thought. Enough focus to understand what is being said. Enough curiosity to ask a useful question.

That kind of listening changes the quality of everyday conversations. It helps people feel taken seriously, and it makes the conversation more useful for everyone.

Self-talk mastery - Practical advice for colleagues who struggle with the confidence needed to be more friendly and outgoing at work

Then we look at what gets in the way.

Because for some people, saying hello is easy. For others, it can feel oddly exposing. What if they blank me? What if I look stupid? What if they are too senior, too busy or not very friendly? What if I say the wrong thing?

That is where self-talk comes in.

We all have an inner voice. Sometimes it is useful. Sometimes it is like having a deeply unhelpful headline writer in your head, making everything sound worse than it is. “They won’t want to talk to you.” “You should have known that.” “Keep your camera off.” “Don’t say anything.”

In the keynote, I share a simple way to notice that voice and challenge it. I call it ICE: identify the thought, choose what to do with it, then properly evidence it.

Is the thought true? Is it kind? Is it useful? Or is it just fear, habit or one bad experience pretending to be the whole story?

This matters because connection is not only about what happens between people. It is also about what happens inside us before we reach out, speak up or start the conversation.

The coffee strategy - Creating a more connected and workplace, one coffee at a time

The coffee strategy takes The Power of Hello beyond the word hello.

And before anyone starts twitching, no, I do not mean networking in the awkward name-badge-and-warm-white-wine sense. I mean getting to know people well enough that work becomes easier.

The idea is simple. Think about the people it would be useful to know better. Not because you want something from them immediately, but because they understand a part of the organisation that you don’t. They have experience, contacts, context or ideas that could help you see the bigger picture.

Then ask for 10 or 15 minutes. A coffee. A cup of tea. A quick call. Nothing grand.

You might ask how they got into their role, what they are working on, what they wish other teams understood or what advice they would give someone trying to work better across the organisation.

Most people are flattered to be asked. How often do you get a message saying, “I’d really value 10 minutes to understand what you do”? It is a lovely thing to receive.

Over time, those small conversations build a more connected organisation. People know who does what. They ask for help sooner. They spot where their work overlaps. They stop seeing other teams as mysterious departments at the end of an email.

That is the point of a coffee strategy. It makes connection practical.

How the simple act of saying someone's name at work can help them feel included and valued

I also talk about the power of using someone’s name.

Yes, this is where Destiny’s Child comes in. Say my name, say my name. And once that song is in your head, I can only apologise.

But there is a serious point. Hearing your own name cuts through the noise. It gets your attention. It tells you that this bit is for you. You are not just background. You are not just another person on the call, in the queue, or sitting quietly in the corner.

My daughter Daisy works in a coffee shop, and she told me about a customer who knows all the staff by name. He comes in and says, “Hi, Daisy, how are you?” And she loves it. Not in a grand, dramatic way. Just because it makes her feel noticed. Like someone has seen the person behind the counter, not just the coffee.

That matters at work too.

Using someone’s name is a small act of recognition. It says, I see you. I know you are here. You matter enough for me to remember. And in busy workplaces, where people can easily feel like background characters in someone else’s day, that can make a real difference.

You will not remember everyone’s name all the time. Nobody does. But using names a little more, especially in meetings, on calls and when welcoming people into a conversation, is one of the simplest ways to help people feel included.

The value of values - How understanding what you and your colleagues stand for empowers people

The keynote also looks at values. Not the corporate values printed on a poster, laminated on a wall or squeezed into a handy acronym. I mean your values. The things you genuinely stand for and, when it matters, stand up for.

I share a story from when I left the BBC and worked with Weight Watchers on a national advertising campaign. For the first time in a long time, people were asking me what I thought. Not just asking me to read the autocue, present the facts or get through the next broadcast. They actually wanted my opinion.

Then one day I was given a script for an advert. It involved Patsy Kensit and me in a kitchen, chatting about weight loss while she made a cake. And something in me went: no. Women do not just hang around in kitchens laughing at cake. It felt old-fashioned and wrong.

I did not feel especially confident. In my head, there was a voice saying, “Shh. Don’t say anything. These people know what they’re doing. Who are you to challenge it?” But I spoke up anyway. I said I did not think it was particularly progressive, and that we should meet in a coffee shop instead, like busy people grabbing time together.

And they changed it.

At the time, I did not think, “Ah yes, that was my values in action.” But looking back, it was. Something deeper than confidence kicked in. I knew what I stood for, and that helped me speak.

That is why values matter in this keynote. When people understand what they stand for, they can show up more clearly. They can speak up with more purpose. They can build relationships in a way that feels more like them.

And they can start to ask: how do my values help me connect with other people? How do they help me say hello, listen properly, develop relationships and make others feel included?

Why leaders set the tone on everyday workplace behaviours

The Power of Hello is absolutely for managers and leaders.

I know that from my own experience. When I was more junior at the BBC, I once got into a lift with a very senior leader. He knew who I was. We had been in meetings together. But he said nothing. He looked at his shoes until the lift doors opened.

It sounds tiny, doesn’t it? But I still remember it. I did not feel welcome. I felt like part of the furniture. A cog in the wheel. Not worth a split second of his attention.

That is the thing about leadership behaviour. It travels. A leader who looks up, says hello, uses someone’s name or takes a moment to listen can make someone feel noticed and included. A leader who walks past, looks down or dives straight into the agenda can have the opposite effect.

And people notice. They really do.

I also remember being at school when a substitute teacher would come into the room without introducing themselves. It felt odd. Mysterious. You could not connect with them. And do you know what? You did not necessarily want to do your best work for them either.

There is a point here for leaders and managers. Being human with people is not a distraction from the work. It helps create the conditions where people want to contribute, ask questions, share ideas and do their best work.

Sometimes that starts with something as simple as saying hello.

What people take away from Penny Haslam’s motivational keynote on cultural inclusion, everyday behaviours, workplace connection and belonging

People leave The Power of Hello with a simple but important challenge: where could I build a connection rather than miss it?

That might mean saying hello when it would be easier to keep your head down. It might mean using someone’s name in a meeting, asking a better question, turning a camera on, making space for a new starter or booking that 10-minute coffee with someone you ought to know.

It might also mean noticing what gets in the way. The unhelpful self-talk. The fear of being blanked. The habit of sending a message when a conversation would work better. The meeting culture that gets straight into tasks before anyone has had a chance to arrive as a human being.

The aim is not to make everyone endlessly cheerful, sociable or available. That would be exhausting and, frankly, a bit weird.

The aim is to help people notice the everyday moments that shape inclusion, confidence and belonging, then choose one or two simple things they can do differently straight away.

Because when people take responsibility for those small moments, work becomes more human, more connected and easier to do well.

Book this keynote

If you are planning an inclusion day, culture event, leadership conference, or all-staff session, The Power of Hello offers people a positive, practical way to think differently about everyday connections at work.

To find out how Penny Haslam could tailor the keynote for your organisation, book a no-obligation discovery call.