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

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: f20d7c3e7a87e04d6ff8aadcc7855d79c5697cfe6ccf8e70e293ef571ad5faf8

# Tagged Conversations

Partners share three facts or experiences about themselves while their counterpart records the details as brief descriptive tags. Participants then exchange or review their tags before a short group debrief.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Matches the 5 to 15 minute range noted in Relationship Makers Handbook.
**People:** 4 to 24. Pairs; triads if there is an odd number of participants.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Practice distilling partner conversations into concise keyword tags for future reference.
**Use it when:** At the start of a workshop or networking session when participants need to introduce themselves and capture basic profile notes efficiently.
**Skip it when:** When participants require high privacy, when the topic demands deep confidential reflection, or when people cannot take quick written or digital notes.

## Materials and tools

- One index card or notepad sheet per participant
- One pen per participant
- Smartphone or laptop with email access (optional digital route)

## Before participants arrive

1. Ensure each participant has note-taking materials (pen and card, or a text app on their device).
2. Arrange seating in face-to-face pairs, setting up one triad if total count is odd.

## Say this to open

Find a partner. Over the next few minutes, each person will share three facts or professional interests. While listening, do not write full sentences. Write only short tags, keywords, or descriptive phrases that capture what you hear. You will give your partner these tags at the end.

## How to run it

### 1. Explain framing and tagging rules (2 minutes)

State the task clearly. Explain that each person shares three facts, skills, or projects. The listener writes down 3 to 6 short keywords or tags representing those points. Provide an example: if a partner mentions working on supply chains in Chicago and loving trail running, tags might be Chicago, SupplyChain, TrailRunning. Emphasize that anyone may choose non-sensitive or purely professional topics.

### 2. Conduct conversation round 1 (4 minutes)

Person A speaks for 2 minutes sharing their three items. Person B listens and jots concise tags. At 2 minutes, signal the swap. Person B speaks for 2 minutes while Person A notes tags. In triads, allocate 1 minute and 20 seconds per speaker.

### 3. Exchange tags and check accuracy (4 minutes)

Partners hand over their written cards or email/message the tags directly to each other. Each participant reviews the tags written about them. They confirm accuracy, edit any misheard details, or strike out any tag they prefer not to keep.

### 4. Debrief keyword distillation (5 minutes)

Gather the full group. Ask two participants to share how reducing a conversation to tags changed how they listened, and ask two participants how accurate their partner's tags felt. Conclude on time.


## Debrief questions

- How did listening specifically for keyword tags affect your focus compared to an ordinary conversation?
- Looking at the tags written for you, what was captured accurately and what nuance was lost?
- Where could rapid keyword tagging be useful in your team's ongoing collaboration?

**Finished output:** Each participant holds a list of 3 to 6 descriptive tags summarizing facts shared during their conversation.

## Remote

Form breakout rooms with 2 people (or 3 for an odd total). Partners paste their tags into the meeting direct chat or email them to one another before returning to the main room for debrief.

## Hybrid

Pair in-person attendees together in the room and remote attendees together in breakout rooms. If a cross-pair is necessary, have them connect via individual video devices using chat or email to share tags.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may share whatever three facts they wish, including strictly work-related tasks or neutral hobbies.
- Writing can be done on physical cards, typed into a phone, or dictated verbally if writing is inconvenient.
- Anyone may pass on receiving or sharing specific tags by notifying their partner.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant writes lengthy paragraphs instead of concise tags.**

Remind the group to restrict notes to single words or two-word phrases, like social media hashtags.

**An odd number of participants leaves someone without a partner.**

Create a triad where each person takes a shorter turn, or invite the extra person to partner with the facilitator.


## Terms used here

- Tag: A brief keyword or short label used to index, describe, and locate specific information.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Relationship Makers Handbook, pages 390-391.

Relationship Makers Handbook refers to a proprietary 'People Science' capture sheet, eco-system feeds, and expert analysts. UWT adapted the core mechanic into an accessible 15-minute pairing exercise using index cards, direct messaging, or email, with neutral examples and structured partner time limits.

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/tagged-conversations/