---
name: liberating-structures-facilitation
agent: nw-workshopper
description: Practitioner guide for selecting and specifying Liberating Structures, World Café, and Open Space Technology based on group size and learning intent
---

# Liberating Structures and Large-Group Facilitation

## Decision Rule: Choose Structure by Learning Intent First, Then Group Size

| Learning Intent | Time Available | Best Structure | Group Size Range |
|-----------------|---------------|----------------|-----------------|
| Generate ideas or questions from everyone | 12 min | 1-2-4-All | Any |
| Surface what must stop before change can happen | 35 min | TRIZ | Any |
| Peer coaching on a live challenge | 30 min | Troika Consulting | Any (triads) |
| Structured reflection after a shared experience | 45 min | What-So-What-Now-What | Any (5–7 per group) |
| Transfer practitioner knowledge to larger group | 35–70 min | User Experience Fishbowl | 15–150+ |
| Connect audience to an expert through story | 35–60 min | Celebrity Interview | Any (theater-style) |
| Define minimum rules for a purpose | 35–50 min | Min Specs | Any (4–7 per table) |
| Open a session, build connections | 20 min | Impromptu Networking | Any |
| Activate individual agency without approval | 20 min | 15% Solutions | Any (2–4 per group) |
| Prioritize bold ideas from a large crowd | 30 min | 25/10 Crowdsourcing | 20–500+ |
| Cross-pollinate knowledge across silos | 2–3 hours | World Café | 12–hundreds |
| Self-organized exploration of complex theme | 90 min – 3 days | Open Space Technology | 10–1,000+ |
| Parallel topics + whole-group harvest | 50–70 min | Gallery Walk + Parallel Workstreams | 20–100+ |

---

## The 10 Core Structures for IT Workshops

### 1. 1-2-4-All — Universal Idea Generator
**Time**: 12 minutes. **Group**: Any size.

Protocol: Silent individual (1 min) → pairs (2 min) → groups of 4 (4 min) → whole group (5 min, one idea per foursome).

**Discipline**: Enforce the 1-minute silence before pairs speak. Without it, early talkers anchor everyone's thinking.

**How to specify**: Frame a single, specific question. Bad: "What do you think about testing?" Good: "What is one thing stopping your team from writing tests first?"

---

### 2. TRIZ — Surface Counterproductive Habits
**Time**: 35 minutes. **Group**: 4–7 per group.

Protocol: Three 1-2-4-All rounds:
1. "What would guarantee the worst possible outcome for [main objective]?"
2. "Which of those things do we currently do?"
3. "What will we commit to stop doing?"

**Discipline**: Round 3 outputs must be "stop X" — never "start Y."

**IT example (Round 1)**: "How would we guarantee deployments fail every Friday and trust collapses?"

---

### 3. Troika Consulting — Peer Coaching in Triads
**Time**: 30 minutes (three 10-minute rounds). **Group**: Triads.

Protocol per round: Client presents challenge (1–2 min) → clarifying questions (1–2 min) → **client turns away** → consultants brainstorm (4–5 min) → client turns back and names top takeaway (1–2 min). Rotate.

**Non-negotiable**: The client must physically turn away. This eliminates their social influence on the advice.

---

### 4. What, So What, Now What (W³) — Structured Reflection
**Time**: 45 minutes. **Group**: 5–7 per group.

| Stage | Individual | Small Group | Whole Group |
|-------|------------|-------------|-------------|
| WHAT? (observations only) | 1 min | 2–7 min | 2–5 min |
| SO WHAT? (patterns, hypotheses) | 1 min | 2–7 min | 2–5 min |
| NOW WHAT? (actions) | 1 min | 2–7 min | 2–5 min |

**Discipline**: Hold them in "So What" until at least two patterns are named. Patterns precede useful actions.

---

### 5. User Experience Fishbowl — Practitioner Knowledge Transfer
**Time**: 35–70 minutes. **Group**: Inner circle 3–7; outer circle unlimited.

Protocol: Setup (2 min) → inner circle conversation (10–25 min) → outer circle formulates questions (4 min) → Q&A (10–25 min) → W³ debrief (10–15 min).

**Non-negotiable**: Inner circle = direct personal experience only. No rank, no theories — stories only.

**IT examples**: Team who completed a microservices migration. Engineers who ran a production postmortem. Developers who adopted TDD in an existing codebase.

---

### 6. Celebrity Interview — Expert Dialogue at Scale
**Time**: 35–60 minutes. **Group**: Unlimited, theater-style.

Protocol: Interviewer frames topic (3 min) → structured interview (15–30 min) → audience generates questions via 1-2-4 on index cards (5–10 min) → interviewer asks best questions (5–10 min).

**Interview arc**: inspiration → challenges → what keeps you going → what do we hope happens.

**Discipline**: Every answer must be a concrete story, not a prepared remark.

---

### 7. Min Specs — Constraint-Based Design Thinking
**Time**: 35–50 minutes. **Group**: 4–7 per table.

Protocol: Generate must-dos and must-not-dos (6 min) → reduction test: "If violated, could we still succeed? If yes, remove it" (15 min) → repeat reduction (15 min) → cross-table consolidation (15 min).

**Discipline**: Elimination test is binary. If participants argue, clarify purpose and retry.

---

### 8. Impromptu Networking — Session Opener
**Time**: 20 minutes. **Group**: Any size.

Protocol: Three rounds of 4–5 minutes in rotating pairs. One challenge question + one reciprocal question per round. Example: "What challenge do you bring?" + "What do you hope to contribute?"

---

### 9. 15% Solutions — Individual Agency Activation
**Time**: 20 minutes. **Group**: 2–4 per group.

Protocol: Individual identifies actions within their own discretion, requiring no additional resources or authority (5 min) → share with group (3 min/person) → peer consultation (5–7 min/person).

**Discipline**: Verify each solution falls within the individual's own discretion. If it requires someone else's approval, it's not a 15% solution.

---

### 10. 25/10 Crowdsourcing — Large-Group Prioritization
**Time**: 30 minutes. **Group**: 20–500+.

Protocol: Write bold idea + first action step on index card (5 min) → cards circulate in five pass-and-score rounds, each scores 1–5 (15 min) → countdown reveal of top ten (5 min).

---

## World Café — Cross-Pollination Protocol

**Time**: 2–3 hours. **Group**: 12 to hundreds (3–5 per table).

**Session structure**:

| Phase | Duration |
|-------|----------|
| Arrival and welcome | 15 min |
| Opening and orientation | 15 min |
| Round 1 — opening question | 20–25 min |
| Round 2 — deepening question | 20–25 min |
| Round 3 — action question | 20–25 min |
| Whole-group harvest | 20–30 min |
| Closing | 10–20 min |

**Table host role**: One person stays per table across all rotations, briefing new arrivals on prior rounds. This is the mechanism that creates cross-pollination — non-negotiable.

**Three-question arc**:
1. Opening: "When have we been at our best?" (shared memory)
2. Deepening: "What would it take to...?" (barriers and possibilities)
3. Action: "What commitment could we make today?" (ownership)

**When NOT to use**: When the group needs to produce a document, reach a specific decision, or when only one correct answer exists.

---

## Open Space Technology — Self-Organizing Format

**Time**: 90 minutes (mini) to 3 days. **Group**: 10 to 1,000+.

**Hard preconditions** — confirm both before committing:
1. Participants have genuine passion for the central theme
2. Participants are willing to take personal responsibility for what they propose

**Four Principles**: Whoever comes are the right people | Whatever happens is the only thing that could have | Whenever it starts is the right time | When it is over, it is over.

**Law of Two Feet**: If you're neither learning nor contributing, move.

| Step | Duration |
|------|----------|
| Opening circle | 15–30 min |
| Marketplace (participants post topics) | 15–20 min |
| Concurrent sessions (self-organized) | 60 min – multiple days |
| Closing circle | 30–60 min |

**Mini-OST (90 min)**: Opening circle 15 min → Marketplace 15 min → Two 20-min session slots → Closing circle 15 min. Handles 4–8 topics; 10–60 participants.

**When NOT to use**: Fixed curriculum, specific required conclusion, mandatory participation, or leadership already has the answer.

---

## Gallery Walk with Parallel Workstreams

**Time**: 50–70 minutes. **Group**: 20–100+.

| Phase | Duration | Activity |
|-------|----------|----------|
| Topic assignment | 5 min | Groups of 4–6 receive distinct topic |
| Parallel workstreams | 20–30 min | Each group produces visible artifact |
| Gallery walk | 15–20 min | All read all artifacts, add sticky comments |
| Whole-group debrief | 10–15 min | Facilitator surfaces cross-workstream patterns |

Scaling: 60+ participants requires 2–3 co-facilitators. Always assign a "reporter" role per group at 60+.

---

## Common Workshop Strings

**String A: Workshop Opener (45 min)**: Impromptu Networking (20) → 1-2-4-All on learning goals (12) → synthesis (13)

**String B: Deep Retrospective (80 min)**: TRIZ (35) → W³ debrief of TRIZ output (45)

**String C: Expert Knowledge Transfer (90 min)**: Celebrity Interview or UX Fishbowl (60) → W³ debrief (30)

**String D: Team Agreement Design (70 min)**: 1-2-4-All to generate principles (12) → Min Specs reduction (50) → 15% Solutions (20)

**String E: Large-Group Discovery Day (Full Day)**: Impromptu Networking (20) → Celebrity Interview (45) → World Café (2hr) → 25/10 Crowdsourcing (30) → W³ closing (45)

**String F: Mini Open Space (Half Day)**: Impromptu Networking (20) → Mini-OST (90) → Gallery Walk (60) → 15% Solutions (20)

---

## Failure Modes to Avoid

| Mistake | Consequence | Fix |
|---------|-------------|-----|
| Skipping silent reflection in 1-2-4-All | Dominant voices anchor all output | Enforce 1-min silence; walk around while participants write |
| TRIZ without a clear objective | Round 1 is vague; no traction | State main objective explicitly before first question |
| Wrong people in Fishbowl inner circle | Audience learns nothing real | Select by direct experience only |
| Rushing So What in W³ | Plans lack grounding | Hold So What until two patterns are named |
| OST when sponsor has a predetermined answer | Participants lose trust | Use World Café instead |
| World Café without a table host role | No cross-pollination | One person always stays per table |
| Gallery Walk without sticky-note commenting | Walk is passive | Require written comments on each chart |

---

## Virtual/Remote Adaptation

### Universal Remote Principles
- Breakout rooms replace physical sub-groups
- Miro boards replace sticky notes — use Private Mode
- Shared on-screen timer required
- Add 2-3 min buffer per protocol for breakout room management
- Reduce group sizes by 1-2 vs in-person

### Protocol-Specific Adaptations

| Protocol | Virtual (Zoom + Miro) |
|----------|-----------------------|
| **1-2-4-All** | 1: individual Miro sticky (Private Mode ON); 2: pair breakout 3 min; 4: group breakout 5 min; All: main room synthesis |
| **TRIZ** | Miro frame per question; sub-groups in separate sections; synthesis in main frame |
| **W³** | Miro: 3 columns; individual input (Private Mode), then group reveal |
| **Impromptu Networking** | Zoom: random pairs in breakout, 3 rounds of 5 min each |
| **Min Specs** | Miro sticky clusters: "must have" vs "must not have" in separate zones |
| **UX Fishbowl** | Zoom: 4-person breakout + unmute rule; outer circle stays muted |

### Not Adaptable Online
- Open Space Technology (requires physical movement)
- Wise Crowds (consultation rounds lose energy remotely)
- Conversation Cafe (deep dialogue suffers from video fatigue)

---

## 4C Phase Mapping

| 4C Phase | Recommended LS Protocols |
|----------|--------------------------|
| **C1: Connections** | 1-2-4-All (prior knowledge), Impromptu Networking |
| **C2: Concepts** | What-So What-Now What?, User Experience Fishbowl, Min Specs |
| **C3: Concrete Practice** | TRIZ, 15% Solutions, Shift & Share |
| **C4: Conclusions** | 15% Solutions (commitments), What-So What-Now What? (debrief) |

### Bloom's Alignment
- **Remember/Understand**: 1-2-4-All, W³ (information sharing)
- **Apply**: 15% Solutions, TRIZ
- **Analyze/Evaluate**: User Experience Fishbowl, Wise Crowds
- **Create**: Open Space Technology, Liberating Structures Sprint
