🚀 Overview

This is a fun, hands-on 2-day training to quickly develop group facilitation skills. It uses the powerful techniques from the Liberating Structures methodology. You'll be able to put these facilitation skills to work immediately in a wide variety of contexts, be it small 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. It's used throughout the US and Canada, but is also widespread in Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Liberating Structures trainings are known as "immersions." They are experiential and interactive, not lecture-based.

🎯 Objectives

Participants will:

  • Understand the basic tenets and approach of Liberating Structures as a group facilitation method.
  • Experience, learn, and be confident using more than a dozen powerful techniques for group facilitation.
  • 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, future forecasting, 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.

I attended the immersion workshop this past October in Washington, DC and it was one of the most transformative experiences I've ever had the privilege to attend. Not only was I able to make some amazing new friendships, the workshop enabled me to better understand navigating the human dynamic in a much deeper way through Liberating Structures techniques which ultimately gives success to any new idea/vision/process. 

- Stacy Yeager, Community Relations Facilitator

Previous training participants came from:


📅 Dates

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

  • Day #1: Thursday, April 20, 2023 | 8:30a - 5:00p ET
  • Day #2: Friday, April 21, 2023 | 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
  • Follow-up Session B - Case Study Debrief, Adding Structures & Strings: approx 6 weeks after the training

📌 Location

This training will be held in downtown Washington, DC. We're being hosted by Cobec Consulting in their beautiful office in L'Enfant Plaza, overlooking the city: 500 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20024. Unless there is a significant change in public health restrictions, this training will be done in-person without an online option.

✉️ 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:

📝 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 - Reconnect the experience of leaders and experts with people closest to the challenge
  • Ecocycle Planning - Analyze a portfolio of activities and relationships 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 expression
  • 15% 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 - (LS under development) 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

Liberating Structures trainer

Lee Gimpel is an expert on collaborative facilitation and meeting design. He runs the Washington, DC Community of Practice for Liberating Structures and is the founder of Better Meetings, a meeting facilitation, training and design firm in Washington, DC. Building on a foundation of Liberating Structures techniques, he works with in-person, online, and hybrid meetings, conferences, retreats, and networking events. His work blends group facilitation, audience engagement, and human-centered design. As the leader of the Liberating Structures community in DC, he has provided dozens of trainings on LS techniques and also organized the 2020 and 2021 Liberating Structures East Coast Night intensives. In addition, he is the creator of the Conference Organizers Summit, an industry convening for event professionals. 


Professionally, he’s worked with clients such as the US Department of Energy, the National Association of Realtors, and American Federation of Teachers. Before starting his own company, he was Director of Development for LifeWise Strategies where he led trainings and gamified tool-development for a wide variety of organizations. He's a frequent speaker and has presented for groups like the Reston-Herndon Meeting Planners and the Mid-Atlantic Facilitators Network. As an industry expert, he is widely quoted in the media on meetings and conferences, including in USA Today, HuffPost, Convene, Prevue Meetings & Incentives, Tradeshow News Network, and MeetingsNet. He writes a regular column for Forbes where he is the contributing expert on meetings and facilitation.

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.

This will be a very effective and applicable 2-day training, but it's obviously not the same as a months-long graduate program or certification.

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.

🦠 Covid considerations

This training is scheduled to be in-person. We are not planning for an online component. Participants must be vaccinated against Covid (and should be prepared to present proof of vaccination) and must also adhere to local health regulations at the time (e.g., masking if required) or the safety guidelines of the organizer or venue. Participants should understand the risks inherent with in-person meetings today.

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. However, we are confident that the event will happen as scheduled, in person.

💬 FAQs

Will the training be relevant for the work I do?
LS is 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?
We'll provide snacks, drinks and a light breakfast, but not full-on meals. Lunch is on-your-own and is an opportunity for small groups to meet and socialize outside the confines of the training room. There is a food court in the building as well as restaurants and food trucks nearby.

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.

Is there CEU credit?
We can't guarantee continuing education credits for this training (especially for the diversity of professionals and credentialing organization it touches on), but we are open to applying for CEUs or certifying attendance. Contact us if you have questions.

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.

Any plans for the evenings?
Previously, some of the participants have gone out to get food and drinks nearby at The Wharf in DC, but there are no planned activities after 5:00pm, 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 in the session. 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 which you'll see below. It is our hope that these tiers are a fair way to allow for an exciting and diverse mix of attendees. 

(Note that all of the reserved tickets at the "Pay What You Can" and "Discounted" levels have now been claimed.)

We will provide snacks and drinks, but lunch will be on-your-own. There is a food court in the building with a variety of restaurants.

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, regardless of the date.

If you have a large team that plans to register, please contact us. It may make sense to do a separate training for your team and it's our hope that a diversity of participants from different organizations will be able to attend, learn from each other, and spread these helpful techniques to their colleagues.

TicketsPriceQuantity

Standard

This is for people or organizations who can afford it, especially for-profit companies and organizations with training budgets. Also, you’ll feel good knowing that your registration helps us offer this training at a more affordable price to other deserving attendees and thereby diversifies and enriches the pool of fellow participants.

$900.00
Total: $0.00
TicketSpice Event Ticketing Software