# Trident Submarine Sharing

Teams cross-pollinate by sending one envoy to visit a different functional group. The envoy observes that group's work, offers support, and returns to report back to their home team.

**Time:** 15 minutes. 15 minutes based on the source lower time band (5 to 15 minutes) for workshop gatherings
**People:** 4 to 24. 2 to 4 home teams based on role or division, with one voluntary envoy deployed per team

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Exchange practical working knowledge between different departments or roles during a workshop.
**Use it when:** Use when multiple departments or distinct functional groups are in the same workshop and need to understand each other's operational responsibilities.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants all perform identical roles, when the group is smaller than 4 people, or when organizational secrecy prevents sharing work details.

## Materials and tools

- 1 notepad or scratch paper sheet per participant
- 1 pen or pencil per participant
- 1 timer visible to the facilitator

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange seating into 2 to 4 distinct team tables based on role, department, or specialty.
2. Ensure tables have space for one visiting guest to sit down.

## Say this to open

In submarine operations, cross-training requires crew members to rotate into other divisions to see how other stations work. Today we will do a fast rotational exchange. Each home team will designate one envoy to visit another table. The visiting table will brief their guest on their everyday work, the guest will note areas where they can offer support, and then our envoys will return home to brief their own team on what they found.

## How to run it

### 1. Form home teams and select envoys (3 minutes)

Participants gather at tables organized by shared role, team, or division. Each group selects one volunteer to serve as the Trident envoy. If a table has only 2 people, one stays and one visits. If nobody volunteers, the person whose first name comes first alphabetically serves as envoy, or anyone uncomfortable may pass the role to the next person.

### 2. Deploy envoys and exchange context (6 minutes)

Each envoy moves to a different designated table. The host group spends 3 minutes explaining their day-to-day work, primary responsibilities, and current blockers. The visiting envoy takes notes. During the remaining 3 minutes, the envoy asks clarifying questions and shares one specific way their own home division can assist or coordinate with this host group.

### 3. Return and debrief at home tables (4 minutes)

Envoys return to their original home tables. The envoy spends 3 minutes reporting what the other group handles and where coordination opportunities exist. The home team spends 1 minute listing concrete takeaways on their scratch paper.

### 4. Plenary debrief (2 minutes)

Facilitator calls the room together. Invite 2 brief observations from the room about unexpected overlaps or practical support opportunities uncovered during the visit.


## Debrief questions

- What did you learn about the host team's day-to-day work that surprised you?
- What is one immediate, practical way your home team can assist the team you visited?
- If you hosted an envoy, what detail about your work seemed most useful for outside teams to know?

**Finished output:** A list of notes recorded on scratch paper by envoys and home teams detailing cross-team support opportunities.

## Remote

Set up breakout rooms matching each department or role. In the main room, designate one envoy per breakout room. Send participants to their home breakout rooms for Step 1. In Step 2, facilitator manually moves each envoy into a different breakout room for 6 minutes. In Step 3, return envoys to their home rooms for 4 minutes. Bring all participants back to the main room for the final 2-minute debrief.

## Hybrid

Keep in-person participants grouped at physical tables by division and remote participants grouped into a dedicated remote breakout room. The remote group sends one virtual envoy via a roving tablet or laptop placed at an in-person table, while an in-person envoy joins the remote room using a dedicated terminal.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may choose whether to volunteer as the mobile envoy or remain at the home table as a host.
- Participants can pass on speaking or personal disclosure by taking written notes for the team instead.

## If the session gets stuck

**A group has only 2 people and is reluctant to send away an envoy.**

Allow one person to visit while the remaining member hosts an incoming visitor, keeping the session fully functional.

**The host group spends the entire visit complaining about unrelated issues rather than everyday operations.**

Facilitator prompts tables at the 3-minute mark to move specifically to: 'What is one concrete way our two groups can coordinate or support each other?'


## Terms used here

- Trident Envoy: A participant temporarily deployed to another division's table to observe their work and identify mutual support points.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Relationship Makers Handbook, pages 441-442, referencing US Military Submarine rotational training.

Retained the source concept of submarine rotational training where sailors visit other divisions to understand everyday work and offer mutual support ('close the triangle'). UWT structured this into a standard 15-minute 4-step facilitation protocol with explicit timing, physical group mechanics, neutral debrief prompts, and pass options.

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/trident-submarine-sharing/