Michelle and Chris call it the "Soft Start." Mark Collard, author of Serious FUN calls it an "Unofficial Start." Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering calls it a "Threshold Moment."  These are all terms for the valuable time we have between when our participants arrive to (or start trickling into) our program space up to when we officially begin the program (e.g., 8 a.m. sharp). Michelle and Chris discuss some interactive ways to connect with and encourage participants to interact with each other before you're "on the clock," and why it brings value to your participants experience.