Connections of Trust

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Apply an objective trust principle to an organizational issue without requiring personal self-disclosure.

Use it when: Use when a team needs an objective vocabulary to analyze cross-team friction, handoff bottlenecks, or project delays.

Skip it when: Skip during acute interpersonal grievances, formal investigations, or active conflicts requiring mediation rather than training.

Group arrangement: Small groups of 4 to 6 people (up to 4 groups total). For group sizes that do not divide evenly, form one group of 3 or 7, or have an extra participant partner as a co-facilitator note-taker.

Timing: Relationship Makers Handbook suggests 15 to 30 minutes; UWT standard plan is 20 minutes.

Materials and tools

• Printed Trust Fact Cards (one card per group, cut into separate slips)
• Blank paper and pens for each group
• Flip chart and markers for room capture

Before participants arrive

1. Select an active operational issue or collaboration bottleneck as the focus topic.
2. Write the focus question across the top of the room flip chart.
3. Print and cut the Trust Fact Cards into single cards using at least an 18-point font.

Say this to open

We often talk about trust in abstract terms. Today we will use specific principles of trust to examine our current work. Each group gets one card stating a concept about trust. Your job is to discuss what the card means, then identify one observable practice for our focus issue. You do not need to share personal stories. Focus on practical team habits and workflows.

How to run it

1. Introduce focus and distribute cards 3 minutes

   Point out the focus question on the flip chart. Form small groups of 4 to 6 people (or a group of 3 or 7 if numbers require). Give each group one Trust Fact Card, blank paper, and a pen. Deliver the opening script.

2. Analyze the principle 5 minutes

   Within each group, a volunteer reads the card aloud. Group members discuss what the concept means in plain terms. One person writes down a short working definition on their paper.

3. Connect principle to the focus issue 6 minutes

   Groups apply their assigned card to the room focus question. Neutral example: If the card states 'Trust depends on reliability,' the team might agree that cross-team ticket handoffs require a confirmed acknowledgement within 24 hours. The group records one specific, observable proposal on their sheet.

4. Share insights and debrief 6 minutes

   Ask each group spokesperson for a 60-second summary giving their principle and practical proposal. Write the key practices on the flip chart. Pose one debrief question to the room and collect two or three brief comments.

Debrief questions

• Which trust principle provided the most practical insight for our focus issue?
• What is one observable action from our list that we can test this week?

Finished output: A flip chart list of concrete operational adjustments linked to specific trust principles.

Remote

Use breakout rooms for groups of 4 to 6 people. Place each group's assigned card text on a distinct page of a shared presentation deck. Keep breakouts open for 11 minutes total covering steps 2 and 3. Reassemble in the main room and give each spokesperson up to 60 seconds to share while typing responses into a shared notes document.

Hybrid

Form distinct in-person and remote subgroups. Distribute printed cards to physical tables and assign deck slides to virtual breakout rooms. Alternate turns between in-room spokespersons and remote speakers, projecting the shared digital notes on the room screen.

Access and participation choices

• Print cards in large type (18 points or larger) and provide digital text files upon request.
• Participants choose roles within their group (reader, note-taker, timekeeper, or spokesperson) and may pass on speaking during room sharing.

If the session gets stuck

A group starts sharing sensitive personal grievances about colleagues.

Redirect focus back to systems, recurring workflows, and agreed operational guidelines rather than individual personalities.

Participants view their card statement as too theoretical to apply.

Ask them to identify a basic routine task, like scheduling handoffs or reporting project delays, and evaluate it using the card's rule.

Terms used here

• Trust Equation: A diagnostic model by Charles H. Green assessing trust through credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation.