You know that awkward few minutes at the start of a meeting — when people are joining, cameras are turning on, and someone’s talking about the weather or what they cooked last night?
That’s not wasted time. That’s connection time. And it might be one of the most underrated parts of building a healthy team culture.

What the Research Says

Psychologists call this kind of casual small talk “reciprocal conversation.” It’s been shown to boost cooperation and task enjoyment — people simply work better together after a moment of easy back-and-forth.
Harvard researchers found that even short, unstructured chats between interns and managers improved performance and career outcomes. And remote work studies have shown that informal conversations are directly tied to trust and retention.

The takeaway: a few minutes of water cooler talk can improve the real work that follows.

Why It Matters in Meetings

We’ve all been in meetings that start cold — everyone muted, nobody talking until the official agenda begins. Those meetings feel stiff because they skip the social warm-up.
Adding just two or three minutes of informal chatter helps people reset their tone and show up as humans first, coworkers second.

It’s not about wasting time; it’s about building social glue. The goal is to let people share a moment of life before jumping into work mode.

Be a Water Cooler Pro

Being good at water cooler time isn’t about being extroverted — it’s about being curious. Ask people questions you genuinely find interesting. Practice active listening.
When someone mentions a weekend trip, ask what they loved most about it. When a teammate talks about a side project or a win, show interest. When someone’s having a rough week, let them know you heard them.

The best water cooler facilitators create space for people to feel seen — not by forcing conversation, but by being present in it.
If you care about your team’s culture, start by caring about the people in front of you. Their days, their lives, their hopes, their wins. Those details are the foundation of connection.

How to Make It Work

A little structure helps. Here’s what we’ve seen work well:

  • Make it intentional. Add “Water Cooler Time” as a recurring line in your meeting agenda. Two minutes is plenty.
  • Use a random prompt. “What’s your go-to snack lately?” “What show did you binge this week?” Small things keep it light.
  • Rotate who starts. Use Popcorn Style to randomize who speaks first. It spreads participation and breaks the manager-first habit.
  • Keep it optional. People can always listen in — it’s not forced fun, it’s just space for conversation.

The Bigger Picture

Teams that talk about something other than work build trust faster. They laugh more. They’re more likely to jump in when a teammate’s stuck.
In remote and hybrid environments, those small human moments are what hold everything together.

So next time you’re tempted to skip the chatter and dive straight into the agenda — don’t. Let people warm up. It’s the social equivalent of stretching before a run.

Because the best meetings aren’t just about what gets decided — they’re about how connected everyone feels when it’s over.