Offline Social Network

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Map shared topics visually across a group to identify common interests and network hubs.

Use it when: Use at team kickoffs, cross-functional gatherings, or orientation sessions when participants need to discover unexpected common ground.

Skip it when: Skip when participants already collaborate daily and know one another's interests, or during urgent task-focused troubleshooting meetings.

Group arrangement: Whole group or subgroups of 6 to 20 clustered around a single whiteboard or wall space.

Timing: UWT suggested duration of 15 minutes; source documents time bands from 5 to 60 minutes.

Materials and tools

• 1 pad of 3x3 sticky notes per subgroup
• 1 felt marker or whiteboard dry-erase pen per participant
• 1 whiteboard or flat wall surface (minimum 4x4 feet) per subgroup
• Roll of painter's tape and 4 sheets of flip chart paper (if wall is used instead of a whiteboard)
• Shared digital canvas platform if running remote or hybrid

Before participants arrive

1. Clear a 4-foot by 4-foot whiteboard, or tape four sheets of flip chart paper in a 2x2 grid to a flat wall.
2. Place sticky note pads and markers within reach of participants.

Say this to open

We are going to map out our offline network. Take a sticky note and write your first name along with three topics, skills, or personal interests you care about. We will arrange them in a circle on the whiteboard and connect the matches.

How to run it

1. Write interest notes 2 minutes

   Distribute sticky notes and markers. Speak the opening script. Ask everyone to write their first name at the top and three clear interest tags below it. For example, 'Alex: cycling, urban planning, sourdough'. Allow 2 minutes for writing.

2. Post in a circle 3 minutes

   Have participants place their sticky notes onto the shared whiteboard in a wide circle, leaving the center open. Notes stay in place and should not be moved once posted.

3. Connect matching tags 6 minutes

   Invite participants to step up to the board in a continuous flow to read tags and draw marker lines connecting their note to any matching or related tags. Multiple people can draw at once, stepping back to let others in. Draw straight lines across the circle without moving notes.

4. Debrief the network 4 minutes

   Ask the group to step back and examine the full web. Call on 2 or 3 participants to share observations, focusing on visible clusters, bridge connections, and isolated tags.

Debrief questions

• What surprised you about the number or pattern of lines drawn across the board?
• Which tags served as central hubs connecting people who do not usually work together?
• What is one connection you noticed that you would like to follow up on later?

Finished output: A physical or digital network diagram mapping shared tags and connections across the group.

Remote

Use an online whiteboard canvas. Each participant adds a virtual note with their name and three tags arranged in a wide circle. Participants use connector lines to link their notes to matching tags simultaneously, then discuss via video conference.

Hybrid

All participants use a shared digital whiteboard canvas. In-person participants open the canvas on their laptops or phones to add their notes and draw lines alongside remote participants, while the canvas is projected onto the room's main screen so everyone shares a unified view.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may list professional interests, hobbies, or general topics without sharing personal private details.
• Anyone who prefers not to approach the board may ask a peer to draw their connection lines or participate solely via visual observation.

If the session gets stuck

The whiteboard becomes a dense scribble and participants cannot see matching tags.

Remind participants to draw lines straight to the target note rather than wrapping around, or provide different colored markers for different broad categories.

A participant cannot find an exact match for their specific interests.

Encourage drawing a line if two tags share a reasonable thematic link, or celebrate unique tags as distinct specialist nodes.

Terms used here

• hub: A central note on the diagram that connects to many other notes due to a widely shared topic.