Closing Triangles

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Draft a concrete introduction note that links two contacts around a shared interest or project without leaving the connector as a permanent bottleneck.

Use it when: Use in professional development cohorts, community gatherings, or team sessions when participants want to link people across their working circles.

Skip it when: Skip when participants are entirely new to a domain with no existing contacts, or in competitive environments where contact-sharing carries organizational risk.

Group arrangement: Solo reflection, followed by working pairs (or one trio if numbers are odd), ending with optional whole-room shares.

Timing: Source indicates 30 to 60 minutes; set to a 30-minute UWT session plan.

Materials and tools

• One printed Triangle Planning Worksheet or blank paper per person
• One pen or pencil per person
• Digital timer or clock visible to the room

Before participants arrive

1. Place one worksheet and pen at each seat.
2. Arrange chairs in pairs, keeping space for one trio if the participant count is odd.

Say this to open

Think about your network as a set of triangles. You are Person A at the top. You know Person B, and you know Person C, but B and C do not know each other yet. When you connect them around a specific shared interest or a joint project, you close the triangle. They can talk directly without routing every conversation through you. Over the next thirty minutes, you will pick two contacts, isolate their common ground, and write a ready-to-send introduction.

How to run it

1. Introduce the triangle concept 4 minutes

   Deliver the opening script. Explain the role of connector A linking contacts B and C. Outline three anchors from the source: a shared topic of interest, one person helping another with a specific need, or an invitation to do something together ('twosie'). Explain that anyone handling sensitive or confidential networks may use initials or fictional roles.

2. Map personal contacts silently 8 minutes

   Start an 8-minute silent working block. Participants select two contacts who do not know each other. They fill in their worksheet: name or role for Person B, name or role for Person C, the shared anchor, and a draft note introducing them. Stop when the timer sounds.

3. Review drafts in pairs 12 minutes

   Form pairs. If there is an odd number of participants, form one trio with 4 minutes per speaker instead of 6. Partner 1 reads their draft introduction and names the shared anchor. Partner 2 acts as a sounding board, checking that the hook is specific and actionable. At the 6-minute mark, announce clearly: 'That is halfway. Switch roles now so Partner 2 shares their draft.' Stop when the 12 minutes conclude.

4. Debrief and plan delivery 6 minutes

   Bring the room back together. Ask 2 or 3 volunteers to share their connection anchor, keeping personal details private if preferred. Ask two debrief questions to close the session.

Debrief questions

• What made identifying a shared hook between two separate contacts easy or challenging?
• How does proposing a specific joint interest or task differ from a vague 'you two should meet' message?
• What permission or check-in do you need from B or C before hitting send?

Finished output: A completed introduction draft linking two contacts around a clear, actionable hook.

Remote

Run via main video room for framing and debrief. Set breakout rooms in pairs (or one trio for an odd count). Broadcast a midway prompt at the 6-minute mark telling pairs to swap speaker roles. Participants use digital worksheets or a personal scratchpad.

Hybrid

Pair in-person participants with in-person partners and remote participants with remote partners in breakout rooms. If remote numbers are odd, add the odd participant to an existing remote pair to make a trio. Collect debrief insights alternately from the physical room and the virtual text chat.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may use initials, role titles, or hypothetical profiles to protect private networks.
• Volunteering drafts during the whole-room debrief is optional; participants may simply reflect on their takeaway.

If the session gets stuck

A participant cannot think of two people to connect.

Ask them to pick two colleagues from different departments who use the same software tool or share an outside hobby like distance running.

One partner monopolizes the speaking time in Step 3.

Ring a chime at 6 minutes, state the role switch script firmly, and verify that the second speaker has started talking.

Terms used here

• Closing triangles: Connecting two people in your network directly so they can collaborate without you acting as an ongoing intermediary.
• Twosie: A collaborative pairing where two people team up to take action or work on a shared interest together.