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Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 9679e20f661b88eed3a8e44f58b4da137906f04a658e191c1ec8b0e80c7fd174

# Local Connections Map

Participants map community actors on cards and draw categorized link lines between them on a shared wall. The group analyzes hubs, weak ties, and structural gaps to agree on strategic outreach actions.

**Time:** 90 minutes. Source specifies 90 to 120 minutes. Planned here for a standard 90-minute workshop session.
**People:** 4 to 20. Small groups of 4 to 5 working on separate posters, or one plenary group working on a shared wall. For counts that do not divide into 4 or 5: for 6 people, form two groups of 3 or one group of 6; for 7, form one group of 3 and one group of 4; for 11, form two groups of 4 and one group of 3.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Produce a visible network map of local entities and their working relationships to locate resources and disconnected areas.
**Use it when:** Use during community planning, coalition building, or project kickoff to clarify which groups interact and where partnerships are missing.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the focus is internal team dynamics or when participants lack knowledge of the local community landscape.

## Materials and tools

- 1 roll of butcher paper or large whiteboard per 5 participants
- 1 pack of 3x3 inch sticky notes per participant
- Fine-tip black marker pens for writing actor labels
- Colored markers (red, green, blue, black) for relationship lines
- Thicker chisel-tip markers for accessibility needs
- 1 sheet of star or dot stickers per group for flagging priorities
- 1 flip chart easel and pad with markers for recording action commitments
- 1 roll of wall-safe painter tape
- 1 printable Legend Sheet per group

## Before participants arrive

1. Tape a large sheet of butcher paper (at least 4x6 feet) to the wall or clear a large whiteboard space.
2. Set up a flip chart easel with blank paper beside the main mapping area for action notes.
3. Post the Relationship Legend Sheet showing all line types, arrow directions, and dashed lines.
4. Set out sticky notes, writing markers, line markers, chisel-tip markers, and star stickers at each table.

## Say this to open

Today we are mapping the network of actors in our community. We will write key groups, institutions, and people on notes, post them, and draw lines showing how they actually interact. Our goal is to spot strong hubs, weak links, and missing partnerships so we can act strategically.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce purpose and demonstrate legend (10 minutes)

Explain the mapping goal and walk through the relationship legend. For example, explain that a library and a community center exchanging event space gets a green line for resource exchange, while an alliance running a joint project gets a red line. Dashed lines indicate fragile ties, and arrows show the direction of flow.

### 2. Brainstorm and post local actors (15 minutes)

Participants silently write relevant individuals, organizations, public bodies, and community groups on sticky notes, one actor per note. Participants post notes on the large paper, clustering similar sectors together and removing duplicate actor cards.

### 3. Draw relationship lines (25 minutes)

Participants draw lines between connected actors. In small groups, members draw simultaneously. In plenary, multiple pairs work concurrently on different sectors. Use green for resource exchange, blue for communication, red for formal collaboration, dashed lines for fragile ties, and arrows for directional flow as defined on the legend.

### 4. Analyze network patterns and gaps (15 minutes)

Stand back and examine the map together. Groups inspect which nodes hold many connections, which are isolated, and where expected ties are missing. Groups mark up to three priority gaps using star stickers directly on the paper.

### 5. Define next steps and debrief (25 minutes)

Gather the room around the map. Collect outreach ideas from four or five volunteers to address starred gaps. Conduct a quick hand vote to agree on two or three top priority actions, noting commitments on the flip chart easel. Pose the debrief questions to the room, taking two distinct responses per question, and photograph the finished board.


## Debrief questions

- Which actors serve as the main hubs in this network, and what risk does relying on them present?
- Where are the most critical gaps between groups that ought to be working together?
- What is one immediate connection our group can initiate next month to bridge an isolated node?

**Finished output:** A documented visual network diagram displaying local actors, relationship types, identified network gaps, and a flip chart list of agreed outreach actions.

## Remote

Use an online canvas like Miro or Mural. Prepare a board with pre-made sticky note templates and colored line connector tools. Participants add actor cards in parallel during Step 2, connect nodes using designated arrow colors in Step 3, and add comment pins on gaps during Step 4.

## Hybrid

Pair each remote participant with an in-person buddy. The remote participant views a live camera on the wall map or an aligned digital canvas. The in-person partner places sticky notes and draws lines on behalf of the remote participant upon verbal instruction.

## Access and participation choices

- Provide seated mapping options by placing butcher paper on large horizontal tables rather than walls.
- Allow participants to contribute names verbally or pass on drawing lines without explaining personal network ties.
- Offer thicker chisel-tip markers for participants with grip or visual adjustments.

## If the session gets stuck

**The map becomes an unreadable tangle of overlapping lines.**

Pause line drawing. Have participants physically cluster related nodes into sector islands before continuing with inter-group links.

**Disagreement arises over whether a relationship actually exists between two actors.**

Draw a dashed line to indicate informal, occasional, or disputed contact, and write a brief note above the line.


## Terms used here

- Actor: An individual, organization, government office, business, or informal collective operating in the community.
- Hub: A central actor connected to many other entities in the network.

## Participant material: Relationship Legend Sheet

LOCAL CONNECTIONS MAP LEGEND

Actor Cards: Write one organization, group, or key person per note.

Connection Lines:
- Blue Line: Communication and information sharing.
- Green Line: Resource, financial, or material exchange.
- Red Line: Formal collaboration, joint programs, or binding agreements.
- Dashed Line: Fragile, irregular, or past connection.

Arrow Direction:
- Single Arrow (->): One-way flow of resources or information.
- Double Arrow (<->): Two-way reciprocal exchange.

Key Questions for Analysis:
1. Who holds the most ties?
2. Who is isolated?
3. Which critical bridge is missing?

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Participatory Methods library under the title 'Local Connections Map'.

Retained the 6-step core sequence, purpose, and actor-to-actor relationship mapping mechanic from the Participatory Methods documentation. UWT structured the 90-minute timeline into discrete facilitator steps, standardized marker-based line drawing, added sticker prompts for gap analysis, designated a flip chart easel for action documentation, and provided explicit access and hybrid instructions.

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/local-connections-map/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/local-connections-map/