Trust Building Exercises Worksheet
Practical activities and assessments for building, maintaining, and rebuilding trust in relationships
Purpose: Trust is the foundation of all healthy relationships. This worksheet provides practical exercises, assessments, and strategies for building trust with others, rebuilding damaged trust, and developing your own trustworthiness. Use these tools for personal relationships, professional settings, or therapeutic work.
Understanding Trust
The Foundation Elements of Trust
Reliability
Consistency in actions and follow-through on commitments
Honesty
Truthfulness and transparency in communication
Competence
Having the skills and ability to do what you say you'll do
Vulnerability
Willingness to be open and authentic with others
Benevolence
Having good intentions and caring about others' well-being
Predictability
Consistent behavior that others can count on
Rate your overall ability to trust others:
Very Difficult
Moderately Easy
Very Easy
Rate how trustworthy you believe you are to others:
Not Very Trustworthy
Moderately Trustworthy
Very Trustworthy
What does trust mean to you personally?
Define trust in your own words...
Trust Assessment
Evaluate Your Trustworthiness (1=Never, 5=Always)
I follow through on my commitments and promises
1
2
3
4
5
I am honest and transparent in my communication
1
2
3
4
5
I keep confidential information private
1
2
3
4
5
I am consistent in my behavior and reactions
1
2
3
4
5
I admit when I make mistakes or don't know something
1
2
3
4
5
I consider others' feelings and well-being in my decisions
1
2
3
4
5
I communicate clearly about my expectations and boundaries
1
2
3
4
5
I take responsibility for my actions and their impact
1
2
3
4
5
Which trust elements are your strengths?
Areas where you score well...
Which areas need improvement?
Growth opportunities...
Trust Building Exercises
Practical Trust Building Activities
Exercise 1: The Trust Fall (Mental Version)
Purpose: Build trust through guided vulnerability
Instructions: Share something you've never told this person before - a fear, hope, or meaningful experience. Start small and gradually increase openness based on their response.
Instructions: Share something you've never told this person before - a fear, hope, or meaningful experience. Start small and gradually increase openness based on their response.
What small vulnerability could you share to test trust?
Something personal but not too risky...
How did the other person respond? What did you learn?
Reflect on their reaction...
Exercise 2: The Reliability Challenge
Purpose: Build trust through consistent small actions
Instructions: Make three small, specific commitments to someone and follow through perfectly. Examples: "I'll text you back within 2 hours," "I'll bring coffee for our meeting," "I'll check in on Friday."
Instructions: Make three small, specific commitments to someone and follow through perfectly. Examples: "I'll text you back within 2 hours," "I'll bring coffee for our meeting," "I'll check in on Friday."
What three small commitments will you make this week?
List specific, measurable commitments...
How well did you follow through? What was the impact?
Track your success and their response...
Exercise 3: The Honesty Practice
Purpose: Build trust through radical honesty
Instructions: For one week, practice complete honesty in all interactions with a chosen person. Include sharing your real feelings, admitting when you don't know something, and being transparent about your motivations.
Instructions: For one week, practice complete honesty in all interactions with a chosen person. Include sharing your real feelings, admitting when you don't know something, and being transparent about your motivations.
What feels scary about being completely honest with this person?
Identify your fears...
What positive changes did you notice in the relationship?
Document improvements...
Exercise 4: The Support Test
Purpose: Build trust by being consistently supportive
Instructions: Pay attention to what the other person needs (emotional support, practical help, encouragement) and provide it without being asked. Show up during their difficult times.
Instructions: Pay attention to what the other person needs (emotional support, practical help, encouragement) and provide it without being asked. Show up during their difficult times.
What kind of support does this person most need from you?
Observe their needs...
How can you provide this support consistently?
Your support strategy...
Exercise 5: The Boundary Respect Exercise
Purpose: Build trust by respecting limits and boundaries
Instructions: Ask the person about their boundaries and preferences, then demonstrate that you remember and respect them consistently.
Instructions: Ask the person about their boundaries and preferences, then demonstrate that you remember and respect them consistently.
What boundaries has this person expressed (directly or indirectly)?
List their stated limits...
How will you show respect for these boundaries?
Specific actions you'll take...
Vulnerability-Based Trust Building
Progressive Vulnerability Exercises
Level 1: Safe Sharing
Share something personal but low-risk (a hobby, childhood memory, or preference).
What Level 1 vulnerability will you share?
Something safe but personal...
Level 2: Emotional Sharing
Share a current feeling or concern (worry about work, excitement about a goal).
What emotion or concern could you share?
A current feeling...
Level 3: Growth Areas
Share something you're working to improve about yourself or a mistake you've learned from.
What growth area or lesson could you share?
A learning experience...
Level 4: Deeper Fears/Dreams
Share a deeper fear or an important dream/goal that matters to you.
What fear or dream feels important to share?
Something meaningful...
Level 5: Core Values/Identity
Share something about who you are at your core or what matters most to you.
What core truth about yourself could you share?
Your authentic self...
Trust Barriers & Challenges
Which barriers most affect your ability to build trust?
How will you work to overcome your main trust barriers?
Strategies for addressing your obstacles...
Rebuilding Broken Trust
Steps for Rebuilding Trust After Betrayal
1
Acknowledge the Breach: Fully admit what happened and take responsibility without excuses or defensiveness.
2
Express Genuine Remorse: Show authentic regret for the pain caused and the impact on the relationship.
3
Make Amends: Take concrete actions to repair the harm and demonstrate your commitment to change.
4
Create New Agreements: Establish clear expectations and boundaries for moving forward.
5
Demonstrate Consistency: Prove trustworthiness through reliable actions over time.
6
Be Patient: Allow the other person to heal at their own pace without pressuring forgiveness.
Is there a relationship where you need to rebuild trust? What happened?
Describe the situation honestly...
Which rebuilding steps do you need to focus on?
Your specific action plan...
What concrete amends can you make?
Specific repair actions...
How will you demonstrate consistency moving forward?
Your reliability plan...
Trust Levels in Different Relationships
Understanding Appropriate Trust Levels
Acquaintance Level Trust
Basic reliability in casual interactions. Expectation of politeness and basic honesty.
Friendship Level Trust
Sharing personal information, providing emotional support, and being dependable in plans and promises.
Close Friendship Trust
Deep vulnerability, keeping secrets, being there during crises, and providing honest feedback.
Intimate/Partnership Trust
Complete transparency, shared vulnerability, making major decisions together, and exclusive emotional/physical intimacy.
Professional Trust
Competence in work tasks, meeting deadlines, maintaining confidentiality, and supporting team goals.
Think of your important relationships. What level of trust is appropriate for each?
Map your relationships to trust levels...
Are there any relationships where the trust level feels mismatched (too high or too low)?
Identify imbalances...
Trust Building Action Plan
Personal Trust Development Plan
Choose one relationship where you want to build more trust. Who is it and why?
Your target relationship...
What specific trust-building actions will you take with this person?
Your detailed action plan...
Trust Building Checklist
Select actions to practice over the next month:
Reflection & Integration
"Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets." - Trust is earned through countless small actions and can be damaged by a single betrayal.
What insights have you gained about trust through this exploration?
Key discoveries about trust and yourself...
How has your understanding of trustworthiness changed?
New perspectives on being trustworthy...
What trust-building habit will you commit to developing?
One specific practice...
How will you know when trust is growing in a relationship?
Signs and indicators...
What would your relationships look like if they were built on deep, mutual trust?
Your vision for trusting relationships...
Remember: Trust is both fragile and resilient. It requires ongoing attention and care, but it's also incredibly powerful when built correctly. Start with small, consistent actions and be patient with the process. Trust grows over time through repeated positive experiences, and it's worth the investment for the deep, meaningful relationships it creates.