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When you design the room, trust becomes inevitable.
by Drew Robbins
3 min read
Invest In Relationships
Intentional design of spaces and experiences makes trust and serendipity inevitable in both meetups and workplace collaboration.
Early in my career, the software industry was carved into rival camps and every mixed meetup felt more like a turf war. I was tired of panels that kept people in lanes and tired of slide decks that kept strangers from speaking like teammates. So I booked a small tatami room, set a steaming pot of Japanese shabu-shabu in the middle, and watched walls come down as the first plates circled the broth. A few months later we chose an indoor waterpark for a bigger event, and sandals and laughter turned separate groups into collaborators as conversations carried from hallways to lazy river lines. None of that was luck. It was intentional design that made trust and serendipity inevitable.
The same playbook is effective at work. Onboarding feels different when a new teammate hosts a casual lunch with mixed seating and no slides. A monthly shared activity reconnects remote teammates and reactivates weak ties. Celebrating wins in a playful or neutral space invites stories, spreads context, and seeds the next idea. Pick spaces that encourage shared activity, invite real dialogue, mix seating to bridge groups, signal independence, and follow up so new ties persist.
Transitions should be marked, milestones commemorated, and pits filled. That's the essence of thinking in moments.
— Chip Heath, The Power of Moments
What signature experience will you design this month to make trust inevitable?
Try This
Design a 60 minute signature experience this month, choose a shared activity, assign mixed seating, seed two prompts, and end with three cross-team introductions.
Notice What Happens
Watch status drop, new introductions happen, and ideas surface that never show up in formal meetings.
Share or Reflect
Capture one connection or insight that emerged, thank the people who sparked it, and share the story with your team.
Keep Going
Put a monthly micro-experience on the calendar, rotate hosts, and build a simple playbook so others can run it.
If this resonates, share with your network to help others design connection at work.
