Hola, hola! Welcome to Casa Cinco, a weekly newsletter curating connection.

Are you building or investing in human connection? See the bottom of this email and connect with Casa Cinco.

This week I’m exploring human connection with 85,000 people, using beauty as a guide for work, and what LinkedIn’s founder has to say about what it means to be (more) human. Happy reading!

Here’s to connecting,

Andy

CONNECTING WITH 85,000 PEOPLE

A few weeks ago, I attended a concert I had wanted to go to for years. This was an artist traditionally catering to an older crowd, but I grew up listening to him as my grandmother and father were big fans of him.

What surprised me the most about the experience wasn’t his vocal prowess or the mariachis he brought up on stage.

It was his utter lack of human connection.

Let’s just call him Mr. Grumpy.

Mr. Grumpy did not greet or thank the audience at any point. He didn’t introduce his band. He didn’t even answer to the classic Latin request for one more song at the end of the concert. Otra, otra, otra… no? K, bye.

It felt like he didn’t really care that we were all there to see him.

I tried giving him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was tired. Maybe it was too overwhelming of a crowd. Maybe he was just too passionate about the art of singing to be bothered with conventional concert courtesies.

Or, maybe, he’s just an arrogant jerk. Sorry, I had to say it!

Fast forward to this last weekend, my sister and I were sitting on a couch when we learned that Karol G was having a concert that night. Coincidentally, it was in the same stadium I had been to a few weeks back to see Mr. Grumpy.

For those of you who don’t know who Karol G is, think of her as Latin America’s Taylor Swift - except you don’t cry to her lyrics, you dance to them. Listen to her songs here.

I am not big into concerts, so attending two in the span of a few weeks was unheard of, but I did recall someone telling me that Karol G had a unique ability to connect with her audience. Given I had recently experienced quite the opposite, I was curious to see if and how she did it.  

Little did I know, I was in for a lesson on human connection with 85,000 people. 10/10. Highly recommend.

Here are five lessons Karol G taught me about human connection and what that means to all of us mortals (unless you also fill up stadiums with thousands of people, in which case I’m humbled you’re reading this):

1. The power of storytelling:

   • Every few songs, while Karol G changed outfits, a short sketch appeared on the screens telling the story of ‘little Carolina’ finding and believing in herself. And what do stories do? They establish a connection. This not only gave the experience continuity, but also relatability - 85,000 people related then and there with ‘little Carolina’.

2. Being in control… or pretending to:

   • People need a leader. We need instructions, expectations, and a division of labor. Karol G’s team did this very cleverly, introducing logistics and admin into the sketches and her own interventions (‘The concert is about to begin… the concert is nearing it’s end… when I say ‘hey’ you say ‘HEY’…). It was incredibly basic and nuanced, but it gave the experience a sense of flow and control.

3. Making others feel seen:

   • Standing at the center of 85,000 people must be overwhelming. Where do you even start? Well, one by one. Karol G took the time to go around the crowd and acknowledge our individual and collective presence (‘I see you, man in the neon green shirt!… Wow, amazing braids over there in pink… I see a lot of you crying: is it happiness or broken hearts?). She didn’t give a shout out to every person in the crowd, but every person felt seen.  

4. Being vulnerable.. and human:

   • At one point of the concert, Karol G stood quietly, looking around her. Taking it in. Then, she broke down crying. ‘I am very emotional’, she said, ‘and I cry easily. But please know that if I could make it here, so can you’. The audience lost it. Behind that incredibly successful artist, there was a woman. A human being. Just like all of us.

5. Giving, giving, giving:

   • This woman performed non-stop for 2.5 hours and did everything people expect at a concert. It wasn’t about her, it was about us. She was putting up a show not for her ego, but for her fans. Where do I sign up for the next one?!

The inspiration for you is: if Karol G can establish a connection with 85,000 people, so can you and I. Here’s to connecting!

WEEKLY CURATION

I’m aware many of you enjoy this section greatly. Please bear with me when I cannot fill it up with the quality content I aim for at Casa Cinco. Have something to share? Reply to this email and I’d be happy to feature it in our next issue!

PEOPLE

• 🧠Watch: An incredibly smart and humble James Simons on using beauty as guidance for your work (starting min. 45:12)

• 💭Listen: LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman on AI and what it means to be (more) human

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

• 📱70% of consumers prefer experiences that foster human connection - what this means for branding in the digital age

PLACES

• 🎤Watch: Clarissa Ward interviews Rory Stewart at The Conduit on the global state of politics and humanity

CONNECT WITH CASA CINCO

Are you building or investing in human connection?

Join others like you by replying to this email with the subject line “MEMBER” and connect with the Casa Cinco network.

We’ll talk soon. Thank you for joining me at Casa Cinco.

Did a friend send this your way? Sounds like they know you. Subscribe here.

Was this marked as spam? ChatGPT that thing and take me to your main inbox.