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Exercises/Relationship Mapping/Strategic Network Test
Prompted Conversation ยท Relationship Mapping

Strategic Network Test

Use these key questions to test your network to see how well it works for you and if your team is prepared for the future. It can be used with individual networks or the team's as a whole.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Pairs, Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
BalancedENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
Medium cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Network Design This relationship mapping exercise strengthens Network Design, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. This activity works best if your participants have a visual of their network in front of them
  2. If doing this as a group exercise, create a preliminary network using the "Mapping Connections Framework" exercise
  3. If using it as an individual assessment, use this exercise in conjunction with the "Mapping Connections Framework", "Map Your Network", or "LinkedIn Round Robin" People Science exercises
  4. A strategic network is different from the random contacts you create in the course of doing work
  5. It is both present and future orientated since it includes those you need to accomplish the daily work and those whose support will be critical in the future
  6. Consider who should be in your strategic network, who will you depend on and who will depend on you in the future
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

This activity works best if your participants have a visual of their network in front of them

If doing this as a group exercise, create a preliminary network using the "Mapping Connections Framework" exercise

If using it as an individual assessment, use this exercise in conjunction with the "Mapping Connections Framework", "Map Your Network", or "LinkedIn Round Robin" People Science exercises

A strategic network is different from the random contacts you create in the course of doing work

It is both present and future orientated since it includes those you need to accomplish the daily work and those whose support will be critical in the future

Run this with your AI assistant +

Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Strategic Network Test. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: This activity works best if your participants have a visual of their network in front of them; If doing this as a group exercise, create a preliminary network using the "Mapping Connections Framework" exercise; If using it as an individual assessment, use this exercise in conjunction with the "Mapping Connections Framework", "Map Your Network", or "LinkedIn Round Robin" People Science exercises; A strategic network is different from the random contacts you create in the course of doing work. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.

Origin unverified

  • Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Relationship Makers Handbook; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Relationship Makers Handbook.)
  • What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
  • No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with