Everyday Ambassador: Make a Difference by Connecting in a Disconnected World is a work of nonfiction by Kate Otto first published in 2015 by Atria Books. In the book, Otto aims to help unite people in a world that’s becoming increasingly disconnected and impersonal. It received mixed reviews upon publication; some critics felt that it could have been less about Otto’s own experiences and more objective. Despite somewhat negative reviews, it’s still a popular self-help book. Otto founded the Everyday Ambassador network, which is designed to unite young people pursuing international work opportunities and travel experiences. She’s a member of the Academy of Achievement. Otto believes that seemingly limitless technology makes it easier for us to connect with people, but that we’re less connected than ever before. We’re constantly striving for connections that we won’t find on the internet or through technology, and we’ve lost the art of interacting with each other. Otto sets out to show that it’s not technology that’s the problem, but how we’re using it. There are four values that we must adopt if we want to connect in such a technology-focused society. These values are empathy, patience, focus, and humility. Otto examines these values, considering what they mean, how we’re lacking in them, and how we can improve ourselves. Ultimately, we must want to bring ourselves together for this to work. We must become everyday ambassadors, which is where the book’s title comes from. Otto explains that everyday ambassadors’ key mission is teaching others that human connections will resolve many of our current social problems. By helping us step outside our comfort zones, everyday ambassadors encourage us to celebrate what it means to bond with our fellow people. We don’t need to be famous entrepreneurs or visionaries to become everyday ambassadors. All we must do is consciously decide to engage with the people around us instead of burying our heads between smartphones, tablets, and social media. Instead of checking the news on our phone at dinner, we should have a conversation with the person sitting right next to us. It’s all about living in the here and now. Otto first considers what it means to be focused. Too often, we flit from one task to another—or one browser window to another—without immersing ourselves in anything. We don’t pay attention to what’s right in front of us. We may feel productive because we’re multitasking, but we’ve achieved nothing substantial. We must focus entirely on one task at a time, and those we’re sharing the moment with. We must also be more patient. We’re all too obsessed with immediacy. We want everything now, and the cost is that we don’t build meaningful connections or passions. This applies to everything from relationships to our careers. Again, Otto suggests ways to become more patient, and reminds us that the best connections in life form organically. If we want to bridge connections and transcend boundaries between everyone, then we must try to understand each other. This is where patience and humility come in. We each have different opinions and cultural perspectives, and we must respect that. We must remain self-aware, but we should be flexible and culturally sensitive in our interactions with others. It’s possible to show these qualities when using technology, so long as we wish to embrace them. As an example, if we’re arranging an aid effort in another country, we shouldn’t call ourselves heroes or saviors, but ordinary humans extending the hand of friendship to other humans in need elsewhere in the world. It’s up to us how we wish to portray ourselves, and the messages we transmit online and through social media have long-lasting consequences and implications. The most important thing we can do, if we wish to be everyday ambassadors, is engage with the people around us in real time. For example, we should be polite to everyone, respect each other, and do simple things like learning the name of our morning barista. These are steps we can all take, and we’ll make each other feel better for it. We are all worthy of respect, and exercising kindness and humility will set positive examples for others to follow. Otto makes an interesting point about human interaction: Our minds are not computers, although it may seem that way at times. The average person takes time to process a face-to-face conversation, and all the shifts in body language and linguistic nuances. This is how we get to know each other, and how we learn to interact with other humans sympathetically and with respect. It’s also how relationships are formed. We cannot let technology replace face-to-face, real-time interactions. â€‹ Everyday Ambassador highlights one of the greatest frustrations of the modern era: Technology offers us so many ways to connect, bond, and exchange ideas, but we’re using it the wrong way. If we open our minds to the true potential of the technology before us, we will be more connected—and more united—than ever before.

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Kate Otto

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