So You Want To Create a New Liberating Structure!

Introduction

Since Liberating Structures (LS) were first launched into the world, they generated creative energy in practitioners around the world to create new ones. Some people identified gaps that they found in the repertoire. People generated alternatives to existing structures. Adjacent communities saw opportunities to cross pollinate their approaches with LS. We experienced a flowering of new LS.

Most efforts were informal. New structures were passed around between practitioners but rarely documented and intentionally tested. There was some sense that a structure had to be “approved” in order to be “included.” Yet within the distributed LS network, there was no formal mechanism to do this. So collections emerged (e.g. on the LS website) with structures ranging from well defined and tested, to those only a handful of practitioners knew and practiced.

A conundrum? Not really. To be a structure it must:

address the ambitions of LS (see image below) to the highest degree possible
be recorded into the LS template (shared below and which has been updated this year as Keith and I write a new LS book – stand by!), and,
be practiced, integrated and improved and finally SPREAD. By spread, we mean that the developers of new LSs actively share their offerings through immersions and use in their work.

Sketch with the 10 Ambitions of Liberating Structures. Drawing credit: Thea Schukken (artist) and Barry Overeem (The Liberators) — Drawing credit: Thea Schukken (artist) and Barry Overeem (The Liberators)

There is no formal way to “get new LSs into the repertoire.” Currently there are some Google docs and a Trello board capturing some of them, but it is neither a complete list, nor are all the LSs fully formed. Some folks have forged ahead and made design card decks and included the new LSs they found useful. Holisticon and The Liberators got things started with beautiful cards.

In the new LS book, we are including 10 of these many new LSs and we have made sure to note any online adaptations. (We did that for the original 33 as well!). There was no attempt to be comprehensive but rather to show examples of the great LS flowering. And there was no intent to exclude any others. There is an abundance embedded in our network of LS practice. The best thing we can do is get creative. LS are always adapted and are used adaptively.

I Have a New LS and I Want To Share It

Great! Here are our suggestions!

Write up your LS using the template below. Check out an example of the template in use at the bottom of this post. Include any online adaptations that are needed. Tip: Work with a partner for more fun and ease.
Share your draft with both experienced and novice users. Experienced users may help you refine and new users are the acid test. If they can reliably reproduce the benefits of the structure, you are doing a good job. Tip: when you can simplify, DO IT! (Do as I say, not as I sometimes fail and do!)
Refine your draft again and use it/have others use it as much as you can. Ask for their feedback and refine again. We have been constantly surprised at how much iteration improves the design of a LS. As they say, “lather, rinse and repeat!”
Develop an icon and collateral materials if you can. The visual aspects of the LS repertoire are part of what makes LS special.
Spread the word. Share your structure with user group gatherings and with your friends and colleagues.

LS Template

Instructions are in [brackets]. You can find a copy of the template here which you can copy and fill in. There is an example following the template. Have fun!

[Icon] [TITLE OF LS]

[Tagline: express its essence. Simple, directive, in title case] e.g. Engage Everyone Simultaneously in Generating Questions, Ideas, and Suggestions]

[Duration] E.g. 15 min

[Relevant Quote that enlivens the structure with attribution] Tell me and I will forget. E.g. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin

WHAT IT MAKES POSSIBLE

[A brief explanation of what you can accomplish using the structure. When a LS brings one of the LS Principles to life, make note of it here. Begins with a description of the LS in 1-2 sentences. Goes on to describe the benefits of the LS in third person (ok to use second person, addressing host and group).]

TAKING IT ONLINE

[This new section lays out roles and online adjustments to the five microstructural elements. If relevant, it calls out shifts in the interaction dynamic experienced by the participants. Third person (ok to use second person, addressing host and group, e.g., “Use it when…”).]

FIVE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS—MIN SPECS

[What to do and how to do it, step by step. Where there is a difference between F2F and Online, you will see both options listed. Where relevant, the tech tasks are included.]

1. Structuring Invitation

[First-person statement for the host to read out to the group that flows from the description and what is made possible. This is then used in the Steps below, reducing duplication.]

2. How Space Is Arranged and Materials Needed

[Identify for each of the bullets below. Note online differences. All noun phrases/sentence fragments. Online accommodations in brackets and highlighted in light gray.]

Room Setup: [Physical/virtual space requirements, furniture setup] E.g.: Space for participants to work face-to-face in pairs and foursomes [breakout rooms]
Tools & Supplies: [Tools for recording/sharing]
Display: [What to display, what display materials are needed. Identify visual materials to share the steps and/or prompts because online our attention may wane.]

3. How Participation Is Distributed

[All noun phrases/fragments]

Roles: [which roles need to be filled, including differences online with tech hosts)]
Minimum: [minimum number of participants, if applicable]
Inclusion: [Default: Everyone is invited and has equal opportunity to contribute. Adjust as needed.]
4. How Groups Are Configured

[All noun phrases/fragments]

Configuration: [alone, in pairs, whole group, etc.]
Group Structure: [Specific group sizes, specifications for membership]
Formation: [How groups are formed]

5. Sequence of Steps and Time Allocation

Name of Step 1 (X minutes). [Describe what happens in third person.
- Format participant-focused language (directions, questions) as bullet points. Online instructions in square brackets and light gray shading.
- The name of the step is in title case. Capitalize most words after hyphens, e.g. “Plan Follow-Up.”
- Format name of step as noun or directive, e.g. “List Items” (not “Listing Items”).
- Do not number steps.
- Capitalize steps when referring to them in other sections.
- The first step is always Intro (1 min). Share the structuring invitation. Display supporting materials where everyone can see them.]

WHY? PURPOSES

[Primary reasons for using this Liberating Structure. Directives in second person. [E.g.: Engage every individual in searching for responses to a challenge]

TIPS AND TRAPS

[Useful advice for ensuring the best possible outcomes including attention to online.]

Tips:

[Statements in third person. Complete sentences ending with a period].

Traps:

[Identify what the trap is. [Statements in third person. Complete sentences ending with a period.]

RIFFS AND VARIATIONS

[Alternatives or embellishments for you to try and ideas for designing others. Options for complementary LS and frequently used strings. ]

[Statements in third person. Complete sentences ending with a period.]

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

[A few ideas and real world use cases to inspire you to find opportunities that exist in your context.]

[Complete sentences with a period.]
[Standalone bullet points. Have to be differentiated from purposes. (If an example doesn’t fit here, move it to purposes.)]

ATTRIBUTION

[Our most immediate sources of inspiration or invention. There are many additional rhizomatic connections to the deep and rich traditions in facilitation, organizing, complexity theory and organizational development.]

Name(s) or one key source

COLLATERAL MATERIALS

[Useful presentation materials and templates plus illustrations of Liberating Structures in action. They can be projected or used as handouts F2F and used as slides or whiteboard templates online. For LS with multiple dimensions and phases, we recommend participants draw the image by hand.]

[Images or instructions that are used in running the structure with captions.]
[Templates to capture ideas and actions generated by participants (with space for sticky notes.)]

Example of a Newly Formatted LS

Spiral Journal

Calmly Prepare and Sharpen Observations for the Work Ahead

If there were a little more silence if we all kept quiet…
maybe we could understand something. Federico Fellini

18-20 min

WHAT IT MAKES POSSIBLE

In Spiral Journal, participants draw a spiral and respond to four open-ended prompts to focus their thoughts, and enact the LS principle Practice Self Discovery Within a Group. This structure helps us reflect calmly on challenges or opportunities, unleashing our most creative ideas. When shared, these responses reveal patterns and potential new directions for our work. This approach also creates a comfortable space for quieter people to contribute to planning next steps.

TAKING IT ONLINE

Spiral Journal works well as a way to calmly start an online meeting. It helps people transition from their previous activities, supports both individual and group reflection, and reintegrates physical activity into online interaction.