Build Trust as You Go with Liberating Structures - Impromptu Networking

How it used to go

He knew this team well. Perhaps too well.
They had been working together for years. Knew what to expect from each other. Or rather: knew what not to expect from each other. The collaboration was professional, efficient, and friendly. But also flat.

In meetings, people spoke politely. People took their turn, held back, remained courteous. Discussions were avoided. Tensions weren’t expressed, but also not resolved.

What was missing was real encounter.

He felt it every time. The distance. As if everyone was playing their role, but rarely showed themselves. Trust existed on paper, but not in the conversation.
He had tried to address it. Asked about safety, about collaboration, about what people needed. It yielded neat answers — and little movement.

Slowly he realized: trust cannot be discussed.
It must emerge.

A new structure

During a team day, he decided to do things differently — even before the content was opened.
No round along the agenda. No opening with objectives.
But a simple invitation.

“Before we start with content, I want to try something,” he said.
“Not to solve anything, but to really speak to each other again.”

He introduced Impromptu Networking.
Everyone was asked to pair up. He gave one question:

“What is currently occupying you most in your work?”

Two minutes. Then switch. New partner. Same question.
In the first round, he felt tension. People stayed with safe topics. Workload. Planning. Deadlines.

But in the second round, something changed. Conversations became more personal. Less rehearsed. Someone mentioned doubt. Another spoke about frustration. Yet another about pride.

After three rounds, he saw something happen that he hadn’t seen in a long time: people laughed. Sighed. Really looked at each other.

Only then did they sit down.

What was liberated

What was released wasn’t unanimity.
It was humanity.

People heard each other again. Not as a role or function, but as a colleague. That released something. The tone for the rest of the day was different. Less cautious. Less distant.

In the conversation, people dared to say more. Not because everything suddenly felt safe, but because something had already been shared. Something real.

Small tensions came to the surface. Small, but nameable. And precisely that gave air.
The team didn’t suddenly work better together.
But it worked more genuinely together.

What shifted

After this team day, it didn’t stop at that one moment.
In subsequent meetings, he started more often with Impromptu Networking. He also began experimenting with other questions adapted to the situation, such as:

• “What is currently demanding your attention?”
• “What do you need to work well here?”

Slowly it became a habit. Not the structure itself, but the idea that you first make contact before diving into content.

In later phases, he combined Impromptu Networking with 1-2-4-All to deepen conversations and with Min Specs to keep clear what really needed to be agreed upon.

The effect became visible in behavior. People addressed each other more quickly. Asked questions sooner. Silences were avoided less. Conflicts didn’t become bigger, but manageable.

The culture shifted from polite collaboration to relational collaboration. Trust was no longer a topic, but an outcome of how they continued to meet each other.