Closing Triangles

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Draft a direct introduction between two unconnected contacts that allows them to communicate without an intermediary.

Use it when: Professional development, cross-team working sessions, or community organizing where members want to establish lateral connections across separate groups.

Skip it when: Participants are entirely new to their roles without established contacts, or organizational boundaries forbid introducing colleagues laterally.

Group arrangement: Individual planning followed by paired reviews with optional triads for odd counts.

Timing: Source suggests 15 to 30 minutes; UWT structures this run sheet for 25 minutes.

Materials and tools

• One printed Closing Triangles Planning Sheet or blank paper per person
• One pen or pencil per person
• Countdown timer for the facilitator

Before participants arrive

1. Place one planning sheet and pen at each workspace.
2. Arrange seating to allow quick pairing with a neighboring person.

Say this to open

Think about your separate circles of colleagues or collaborators. A closed triangle happens when you know Person B and Person C, but B and C do not know each other. You introduce them directly so they can talk without you staying in the middle. We will spend a few minutes identifying two people who should meet, finding their shared interest or project, and writing out how you will make that connection happen.

How to run it

1. Introduce the Triangle Concept 3 minutes

   Read the opening script. Describe the three connection hooks: mutual help, shared interest, or working chemistry. Offer an example: connecting a colleague who wants video production advice directly with an internal webinar producer so they can confer on their own.

2. Solo Network Mapping 8 minutes

   Direct participants to complete their planning sheet individually. Have them identify Person B and Person C from their existing networks, select the hook, and draft a two-sentence introduction note. Participants may use initials or titles if they wish to keep names private.

3. Paired Consultation 10 minutes

   Have participants form pairs. If there is an odd number, form one group of three. For pairs, announce a swap at 5 minutes so each person receives 5 minutes. For a trio, announce rotations at roughly 3 minutes and 6 minutes so all three share within the 10 minutes. Partners check if the shared reason to connect is clear and whether B and C can talk without Person A managing the thread.

4. Debrief and Closing Actions 4 minutes

   Reconvene the whole room. Ask two volunteers to share the hook they chose or an obstacle they resolved during peer review. Remind participants that sending their drafted introduction is an optional personal next step.

Debrief questions

• What made identifying two specific people easy or difficult?
• How did focusing on a mutual benefit change the tone of your draft message?
• What is one indicator that an introduction successfully steps out of the way?

Finished output: A completed Closing Triangles Planning Sheet with two selected contacts, a shared hook, and a drafted introductory message.

Remote

Distribute a digital planning sheet. Run the solo mapping individually with webcams on or off. Create breakout rooms of two people (and one room of three if odd) for the 10-minute consultation. Broadcast time announcements at 5 minutes for pairs and every 3 minutes for trios. Reconvene in the main room for debrief.

Hybrid

Pair in-person participants together and remote participants in virtual breakout rooms. Provide digital planning sheets to virtual participants and printed sheets in the room. Bring both groups together for the debrief via room audio and chat.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may use roles or initials instead of real names to maintain privacy.
• Anyone preferring not to share their network may use their paired turn solely to give feedback on their partner's plan.
• Written drafting can be substituted with silent reflection or verbal rehearsal.

If the session gets stuck

A participant says they do not know anyone worth introducing.

Prompt them to think about two people who work in similar roles at different teams or who recently asked the same technical question.

The drafted message requires the sender to attend all future meetings.

Remind the author that a closed triangle allows B and C to operate independently; prompt them to suggest one specific question B and C can discuss directly.

Terms used here

• Closed Triangle: A network state where three people all possess direct ties to one another rather than funneling messages through a single mutual contact.
• Twosie: A term from the source describing when two people agree to meet or work together on a shared interest.