The phrase "six degrees of separation" asserts that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart. Within popular culture, many likely know the parlor game “six degrees of Kevin Bacon,” which more or less plays off the concept by asserting that you can connect any actor to the prolific Footloose star through six or less movies or television shows.
“We developed JabberYak—whose mission is to help ease people at business, social, or community events into taking part in worthwhile, quality conversations with those around them after limited social engagement amid the pandemic—as an expansion on this idea that all people are a few connections away from each other,” says co-founder Shideh Doerr.
Newly launched in Phoenix, JabberYak’s ice-breaking tools, including customized T-shirts, badges, name tags, and name plates, are designed to ignite meaningful, face-to-face communication without relying on personal devices. It works by allowing individuals to select their top personal interests that give insight into who they are.
“Right now, we’re most focused on the return to work and helping companies support their staff. We recently added name tags and name plates to our icebreaker tools so that business owners can help employees re-engage and bond as they head back to the office,” says Doerr. “This creates a more welcoming environment that helps people converse with others with far greater relevance and simplicity.”
JabberYak even goes beyond the basic “six degrees” theory, adding a seventh degree to the mix.
“The seventh degree is the final link that brings individuals together with the idea that people will connect on at least one out of seven interests,” says Doerr.
JabberYak offers a web-based analytics dashboard to business owners, providing valuable insight into who is on their team.
“This allows employers to better plan activities that speak directly to the interests of their workers, creating a comfortable environment. It adds a little science into the art of conversation,” says Doerr, noting the initial idea came about thanks to a cruise.
According to Doerr, when her co-founder Gail Levinthal was on a family cruise in 2016, she noted how her son’s college T-shirt, which featured the name of his medical school on it, sparked conversation with several strangers onboard.
“She recognized that people were more comfortable approaching somebody if they shared a common interest,” says Doerr. “At our core, we just want to belong and connect, and this one T-shirt helped us innovate a way to help people do so.” JabberYak.com