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June 5, 2025
Donna
June 11, 2025FURTHER EXPERTISE
Team communication lessons from LinkedIn
(Yes, really.)
Expert Opinion from Rich Watts published June 9, 2025
Scroll through LinkedIn for five minutes and you’ll likely spot (and get distracted by!) trends including the “action figure” post, a reflective “coffee with my younger self” (remember that one?) or a feel-good “share a photo of your pet” prompt.
These posts might seem like fluff and filler within your LinkedIn feed, but they contain some really useful inspiration and lessons about how to make our communications go further. These types of trends often speed quickly, have high engagement and are memorable too.
How do they do it and what we can learn from them?
Why these LinkedIn trends travel Further
Once the mindless scrolling stops and you look closely, you will notice that all of these viral trends share three key qualities that make them stand out. They:
Showing a little bit of ourselves and our personalities helps to build connection in a quick and fun way.
1. They let the speaker/creator show a bit of themselves
These trends often invite people to share something personal or aspects of their personality or life. Examples include a childhood memory, quirky traits or a glimpse into their home life and pets. Audiences connect more with speakers that they believe are open, authentic and ‘just like them’. Showing a little bit of ourselves and our personalities helps to build this type of connection in a quick and fun (!) way. It makes others lean in and pay attention. Plus, it feels good for the speaker too—they get to be seen, not just heard.
In Ancient Greece, Aristotle wrote about how what he called ethos (credibility) and pathos (emotional appeal) are crucial for persuasion and connection. Now, 000s of years later we’re showing off our ethos and pathos in the form of an AI-generated action figure… Aristotle’s mind would be blown…!
2. They connect people to something bigger
Memes and trends often go viral because they make people feel part of something larger. They become part of a shared moment, a movement, a tribe. Joining in on a trend is a way of saying: I’m part of this conversation too.
Our primal brains are trained to find social tribes and become a part of them. Early man survived by being part of the strongest tribe that could provide food and, shelter and safety. In the modern-day workplace, those same desires and drives still exist. People want to be part of the tribe and a part of the bigger picture—whether it’s a team goal, a cultural shift, or a shared company mission. These trends help us to become part of a large, digital tribe and reinforce our position within it.
3. They carry a sense of lightness
There’s usually a touch of humour or warmth in these trends. They’re rarely heavy or formal. Lightness and humour does something powerful: it creates psychological safety. It signals that it’s okay to contribute, to be a little vulnerable, to have fun.
Humour is also a shortcut to connection. We laugh the most with those whom we feel most aligned with. Humour can quickly build rapport and connection. A sense of shared amusement can be more powerful than any motivational speech.
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What can leaders learn from this?
So what does all this mean for your role as a team leader or manager? If you want to encourage better communication, stronger connection, and more confident contribution across your team, here are three lessons you can borrow from internet and LinkedIn trends, plus some practical ways to put them into action within your teams and organisation.
1. Give people room to bring themselves to the table
When team members can bring their own style and personality into the conversation, they feel more motivated and more invested. As a leader, (unless its mission critical), allow your team, and the individuals within it, to define how they communicate and how they show their own personalities within their communications.
How to apply this:
- Rotate meeting leadership: Let different team members lead weekly stand-ups or share the agenda. This will give everyone a voice and opportunity to show their personality and style to the group..
- Start meetings with a personal check-in: A quick “what’s one thing that made you smile this week?” or “what’s your non-work win?” question helps build connection and allows people to open up on their own terms.
- Encourage storytelling: When someone presents an idea or project, ask them to include a short backstory—what inspired it, what challenged them, or what they’re most proud of. It helps humanise the work and the person behind it.
2. Connect messages to the wider purpose
People don’t just want to know what they’re being asked to do, they also want to know why it matters. Clear communication that ties individual actions to team or organisational goals (the bigger tribe!) gives people a sense of belonging, contribution and therefore, motivation.
How to apply this:
- Link updates to strategy: When sharing updates or assigning tasks, explain how they connect to the bigger picture. For example: “This project ties into our Q3 goal of improving client response times.”
- Use team meetings to reinforce shared goals: Regularly come back to team values or priorities. Visual dashboards or shared progress boards can help keep everyone aligned.
- Celebrate progress in context: Don’t just say “well done”. Instead, say “well done, this gets us one step closer to our goal of X.” It keeps the purpose (the bigger picture and goals of the tribe), front and centre.
3. Don’t underestimate the power of lightness
Humour and warmth aren’t distractions, they can be really powerful tools. Used well, they create a sense of ease and openness that encourages participation. You don’t need to be a stand-up comedian (it’s much harder than it looks!), just be you, a human being (just like your audience are!) who’s comfortable bringing some personality to work.
How to apply this:
- Share a bit of your own personality: Mention your weekend hobby, tell a light anecdote, or drop a (tasteful!) gif into a group chat. This signals that it’s okay for others to show up authentically too.
- Bring light structure to tough conversations: When a meeting might be intense or dry, start with something lighter to balance the tone. Include a quick poll, a fun question or a shared joke to reduce tension and formality.
- Create channels for casual connection: Set up a “random” or “team wins” Slack channel where people can share moments that don’t fit the formal agenda but help build team spirit. It is so important that these moments of lightness and success are not lost.
IN CONCLUSION
Final thoughts
If you want your workplace communication to go further, don’t just look to leadership books look to the internet and the communications around you that are successful. These viral trends provide us with so many lessons that can boost our own team communications.
And if that means more pet photos on the team Slack? That’s no bad thing.
