🚀 Overview

This is a fun, hands-on 2-day training to quickly develop group facilitation and meeting design skills using the powerful techniques from the Liberating Structures methodology. You'll be able to put these facilitation skills and techniques to work immediately in a wide variety of contexts, be it team meetings, community convenings, or large-scale events.

Liberating Structures is an easy-to-use set of modern facilitation techniques designed around collaboration, equity, and engagement. Its inclusive nature lets groups actually hear from all voices and breaks down typical organizational constraints to spur true innovation. In addition, the techniques are easy to adapt to your own needs, so you can apply them to almost any situation where people work together. This method is used by professional facilitators, as well as in big tech companies (often in concert with Agile), grassroots organizations, and institutions like the World Bank. Liberating Structures trainings are known as "immersions." They are experiential and interactive, not lecture-based.

🏫 Who Should Attend?

• Managers and Executives
• Community Leaders
• People in Innovation and Collaboration Roles
• Consultants (e.g., strategic planning) and Project Mangers
• Facilitators and Conveners
• Meeting Planners and Conference Organizers

🎯 Key Learnings and Objectives:

• Experience, learn, and gain confidence using more than a dozen powerful techniques for group facilitation.
• Understand the basic tenets and approach of Liberating Structures as a group facilitation method.
• Be able to apply and combine techniques to facilitate real-world scenarios (e.g., clarifying mission or vision, strategic planning, problem-solving, product development/innovation, update meetings, presentations and trainings, action planning, etc.).
• Be prepared to teach others the basics of how to facilitate.
• Meet and actively engage with a dynamic group of fellow participants.
• Enjoy your time and be energized by the people and the learning process.
  
  

📁 Registration Includes:

• Two full days of professional training and active learning
• Two additional online training sessions for debriefing and skill enhancement (optional)
  
• Meals, beverages and snacks
• On-site parking
• Training booklet and additional materials
• Facilitation and meeting design card deck
• One-on-one follow-up with instructors (optional)
• Certificate of completion

Participants in our previous facilitation trainings have come from the private sector, nonprofits, associations, and government. A few of the organizations who have enrolled their employees include the following:

📅 Dates

Offered in-person just outside of Washington, DC in McLean, VA, the program is two full days of professional training and active learning:

• Day #1: Thursday, October 17, 2024 | 8:30a - 5:00p ET
• Day #2: Friday, October 18, 2024 | 9:00a - 4:30p ET

Additionally, your registration includes two additional (but optional) training sessions, offered online after the in-person training. These will allow you to debrief, share your experiences, ask follow-up questions, and fine-tune your skills after applying them in the field. These sessions will also cover tips and tricks to adapt in-person skills to online groups. And these extra sessions allow you to reconnect with your training peers.

• Follow-up Session A - Porting LS Skills to Online Groups and Q&A: approx 2 weeks after the training (60-90 min)
  
• Follow-up Session B - Case Study Debrief, Adding Structures & Strings: approx 6 weeks after the training (60-90 min)
  

📌 Location

This training will be held just outside of Washington, DC in Arlington, VA. We'll be close to Reagan-National Airport.

2611 S Clark St
Arlington, VA 22202

✉️ Contact | Can't make these dates? 

Interested, but this training isn't convenient for you? We offer these public trainings infrequently, but here are options to stay informed about future offerings like this:

• Fill out the "I'm interested" form here: https://forms.gle/b89fL1gGycHkiNJU6
• Send an email with specific questions.

📅 Agenda

The 2-day program builds logically from overarching concepts to easy-to-use individual facilitation skills to stringing together multiple techniques and building effective meetings to tackle even complex challenges. We usually take breaks about every hour and include time for lunch as well.

📝 Facilitation techniques

You'll walk away with a solid, use-it-tomorrow understanding of the Liberating Structures facilitation methodology -- without feeling overwhelmed or that you've just gotten a glancing interaction with the techniques. We will, however, not cover all the 33 structures in LS. This list may change, but we expect to cover:

The Liberating Structures "Menu" and the background and foundations of LS Design Elements, Strings, Riffs – How LS activities are combined and adapted for maximum effect Impromptu Networking - Rapidly share challenges and expectations, build new connections 1-2-4-All - Engage everyone simultaneously in generating questions, ideas, and suggestions 9 Whys - Make the purpose of your work clear Troika (and Wise Crowds) - Get practical and imaginative help from colleagues 25/10 - Rapidly generate and sift a group’s most powerful, actionable ideas Celebrity Interview - Connect the experience of leaders/experts with people close to the challenge Ecocycle Planning - Analyze a portfolio to identify obstacles and opportunities TRIZ - Stop counterproductive activities and behaviors to make space for innovation

Drawing Together - Reveal insights and paths forward through nonverbal expression15% Solutions - Discover and focus on what each person has the freedom and resources to do now User Experience Fishbowl - Share know-how gained from experience with a larger community Wicked Questions - Articulate the paradoxical challenges that a group must confront to succeed Critical Uncertainties - Develop strategies for operating in a range of unpredictable futures Tiny Demons - Face fears to reduce anxiety Generative Relationships STAR - Reveal relationship patterns that create surprising value or dysfunctions Min Specs - Specify only the absolute “Must dos” and “Must not dos” for achieving a purpose What, So What, Now What - Together, look back on progress and decide what adjustments are needed

The Liberating Structures menu of techniques

Trainers | meeting and facilitation skills

✅ Who should attend?

You should be working with groups in some capacity -- be it 5, 50 or 500 people. This training is suitable for those who are beginner-to-intermediate facilitators. If you are new to a role where you're leading groups or running meetings, you'll be fine. It's also appropriate for experienced facilitators who are looking to add a comprehensive understanding of the powerful Liberating Structures techniques, including some that are less frequently used and known.

This methodology prioritizes collaboration, participation, equity, hearing from all voices, and engagement. It often unearths new, innovative ideas rather than accepting status-quo solutions. Therefore, it's a good fit for leaders and organizations who also believe in this approach to working with groups.

It's important to clarify that one need not have a "facilitator" job title to attend and get value from this training. Indeed, organizing groups and running meetings applies to those who are managers, executives, directors, conference organizers, consultants, board trustees, teachers, trainers, and event organizers. It's also very useful for people who do not necessarily have a formal position of authority but still work with groups, such as community organizers.

🔴 Who should NOT attend?

If you're not involved with groups and meetings, this training won't be very applicable. This is also true if you only do one-on-one work and individual coaching. If you're looking for a training in the vein of "How can I get a group to do what I want?" then Liberating Structures isn't a good fit. Similarly, if you're only looking for ways to moderate discussions or want tips to be a better public speaker, this isn't the right training.

If you're already very familiar with LS, then you may be beyond this training. That said, you're welcome to attend and you will likely see and experience some new techniques and refresh what you already know while connecting with other passionate facilitators in a constructive learning environment.

⚖️ How LS compares to other facilitation/leadership methods

Liberating Structures consists of 33 "microstructures." These are small, plug-and-play facilitation activities that you can combine in innumerable ways. Thus, with Liberating Structures, you learn about puzzle pieces rather than large, complex processes. For this reason, LS is very easy and approachable for new facilitators, but it can also provide practical, sophisticated frameworks if you are accustomed to working with groups.

Philosophically, Liberating Structures is very much about creativity, collaboration, equity, and group interaction; it is not a top-down, command-and-control style. The methodology shares some aspects with other modern group approaches like Open Space, Art of Hosting, World Café, and Design Thinking. For organizations looking to be more open, collaborative, and equitable, introducing LS can be a practical starting point for culture change.

Facilitating with these techniques is more about understanding how groups work rather than simply writing out an agenda. For example, LS uses a lot of tactics that break big groups into smaller, more nimble teams before regrouping. LS tends to bring groups to agreement more organically than typical win/lose voting processes.

Because of its flexible, modular approach, it's hard to think of meetings and group scenarios where LS isn't a fit. That said, LS isn't usually used in one-on-one meetings, nor is it a formal mediation process. Some facilitation approaches have very formulaic steps to, for example, run a strategic planning meeting; instead, LS doesn’t have one right answer but gives you a number of options by combining different elements.

Generally, facilitators like that LS is easy to learn and use. It’s often energizing and fun. And because of its collaborative approach, it takes a lot of the burden off the shoulders of the person leading the group. It's also a mature methodology with a passionate fraternity of fellow practitioners. And it’s well suited for train-the-trainer scenarios if you want to introduce it within your organization.

For participants, LS is a breath of fresh air because it actively involves them; it's not the boss just running a meeting where people are passive observers. With LS, people participate more, they remark on the genuine connection among their groups, and they find breakthrough solutions.

Curious what a Liberating Structures "Immersion" training is like? 
Here's a quick recap from a similar session hosted by the LS community in Amsterdam.

💬 FAQs

Will the training be relevant for the work I do?
LS is great for people who lead and work with teams and groups. And it's great for both new and experienced facilitators. It's used in groups of 5 and 500 -- and is very much independent of specific fields or industries. However, if you only work one-on-one or you're in a rigidly top-down organization, then LS won't be a good fit. Although it was designed for in-person groups, it adapts very well to online teams. If you have questions about the fit, contact us.

What should I bring?
You'll want to bring a notebook and a pen. (Banish the image of a static training where you sit at a table all day with a laptop.) You may also wish to bring a bag for your stuff because we'll be moving seats and changing groups.

What should I wear?
There's no set dress code, but an LS training is fun and relaxed, not a stuffy suit-and-tie affair. Generally: business casual. If you want to wear jeans and sneakers, that's fine.

What if I don't know anyone else who's attending?
No worries! That will be the case for many of the participants in this public event. The underlying ethos of LS is about inclusion and participation -- and the format of the training encourages small-group interactions. You'll definitely meet lots of new people, some of whom may very well become great friends and colleagues.

Will there be food and drinks?
Yes, we'll provide breakfast and lunch as well as snacks and drinks.

How many people will be in the training group?
We anticipate it to be a few dozen, but probably not more than 40.

Can I only attend one of the days?
No, this is a two-day training where the activities are designed to logically build on each other. If you only attend for part of the program, you won't qualify for certification.

I'm coming in from out of town. Can I connect with others in the same position?
Great -- we're excited to have you in DC! We expect to make an online discussion space available to the group before the event. Here you can ask about carpooling, sharing lodging, etc.

What about hotels?
There are a number of hotels around the McLean and Tysons, Virginia area (search near the venue: 7515 Colshire Dr, McLean, VA 22102). Try this quick search on Google or on Hotels.com. You may also wish to consider other hotels near the SILVER Metro line, including those on the route to Dulles International Airport. The closest hotel (but not the cheapest) is The Archer-Tysons, a walk of only a few minutes to the training venue.

What about Covid?
Participants should understand the risks inherent with in-person gatherings today. This training will be in-person only. Unless public health advice changes or the venue mandates certain precautions, masks are not required, but you may choose to wear one.  If you are positive for Covid or have symptoms before or during the sessions, we ask that you not attend. In this case, we will refund your registration fee (minus ticketing transaction fees). Should health concerns in the DC area prohibit the training, we will consult with registrants about offering the instruction online or at a future date.

Are there any plans for the evenings?
Previously, participants have gone out to get food and drinks after the training days, but there are no required activities after the training days, per se.

Can my organization do an internal training just for our own staff at a separate date?
Yes, there are a number of options here, but an internal training can be customized to an organization's specific needs and also tends to be a team-building activity because of the degree of interaction. Internal trainings tend to be for a minimum of around 10 people. For more information, contact us.

If I can't attend this posted event, can I attend a future training?
If you're interested in attending a future training on group facilitation or meeting skills, fill out the "I'm interested" form here. Or you can contact us.

There are three pricing options below. We also have a limited number of discounted scholarship tickets, based on need; contact us to inquire about this option. It is our hope that these tiers and scholarships are a fair way to allow for an exciting and diverse mix of attendees.

• You're registering for 2 full days of hands-on professional training.
• We will provide meals, snacks and drinks.
• We also provide a training booklet and other materials.
• Parking at the venue is provided.
• Tickets will be refunded up until 14 days prior to the start of the event. However, refunds may incur some nonrefundable fees charged by the ticketing platform or credit card processor. For legitimate instances where sickness prevents attendance, we will refund tickets as well.

If you have a large team that plans to register or if you can't pay with a credit card (such as check or invoice), please contact us.