Impromptu networking

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Having participants share responses to a “why am I here” type of question with their neighbors is a safe way to open a workshop, and Impromptu Network does it with a classic LS touch.

In practice

Indeed, my experience with Impromptu Networking has been as an opener activity with a large group of people meeting for the first time.

The next time I have this opportunity, I will try it as a post-lunch activity designed to get everyone back into a working mood very quickly. In an in-person workshop, we could have everyone stand up to shake off the food coma and have a collective reckoning of the morning’s key learnings before opening up the afternoon’s activity.

For me, as the facilitator, it would also double as a sense check for where participant’s heads are, in order to make any calibrations. Are people excited to move forward? Were there surprises in the morning? Is there anxiety that is best addressed now? Etc. This can be done without organized harvesting. Walking around among the groups during the activity is enough to get a read of the room.

Facilitation notes

The responses and level of energy are strongly influenced by what the facilitator or workshop sponsor brings to the room before this activity begins. There are pros and cons to that, so it’s important to be hyper-aware.

Workshop design notes

The magic is in answering the same prompt three times with different people. It might be tempting to trim it to two rounds, but it’s not worth the time saved!

This entry is part of Liberating Structures Field Notes, my collection of stories and reflections from the field. It's written for people who already know LS and are deepening their practice. If you're just getting started and looking for activity instructions, you'll find them at liberatingstructures.com..