A highly interactive session organized by Agile Belgium on Liberating Structures. We explored Mad Tea, Back2Back listening and Troika consulting ... #nochairs co-hosted by Frederik Vannieuwenhuyse and Frederic Vandaele

1. Discovering
Liberating Structures
Frederic Vandaele, Anna Jackson, Frederik Vannieuwenhuyse
Agile Belgium Meetup January 2018
PlayfulLSLogobyTracyKelly

2. Session Purpose
This session exists to experiment
new types of micro-interaction.
So that people can actually work
together and build meaningful
connections.

3. A note about Freedom & Responsibility
during this immersion learning experience
• Take advantage of opportunities to
contribute AND continuously make
space for others to do the same
• Play close attention to the role that
structure plays in shaping
interactions
• Prepare for a high dynamic rate of
random variability
• Engage with seriously playful
curiosity & try to notice the
intimate, imperfect, and intricate
details of your experience
• Expect surprise, confusiasm, and
dynamic incompleteness
• Give more than you take

4. Mad Tea Party
Still-in-development Rearrange a richer, deeper, funner context for taking action

5. Mad Tea Etiquette
1) Stay curious, dig deep, have fun
2) Don’t over think answers
3) Finish each of the open sentences with a short phrase!
4) Give a high five before moving!

6. Mad tea party: Sequence of Steps
• Form two circles with the inner facing out.
• Standing across from another person respond to the open
ended sentence that follows. (1 min)
• Give a high five!

7. What takes my
breath away
is….
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

8. Mad tea party: Sequence of Steps
• Inner circle shift to the right.
• Respond to the next sentence. (1 min)
• Stay curious and dig deep.
• Give a high five!

9. My work can
use a little
more….
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

10. Positive change
is liberated
when….
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

11. I don’t need
permission
to….
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

12. All I want is….
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

13. Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/
A conversation
that scares me
is….

14. What gives
me courage
is….
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

15. Just over the
horizon is…
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

16. If we do
nothing, the
worst thing that
can happen
is….
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

17. I can’t wait
to….
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

18. I am grateful
for…
Image: http://pixabay.com/en/girl-child-alice-in-wonderland-miss-29409/

19. WHAT DID WE
JUST DO?

20. Conventional Structures
Ubiquitous, Often Unnoticed

21. Presentation
Over-Controlled

22. Free-for-All
Discussions
Unequal
participation

23. Simple Rules to Include and
Unleash everyone
LS make it possible:
• for everybody with a stake to have a voice
• for everybody to have freedom to act and
seize opportunities, and
• for everybody to take into account other
people's voices, mutually shaping next steps
together.

26. Liberating
Structures

27. Back-To-Back Listening
Practice deeper listening and empathy with others
Photo:SeanQuinlan

28. Form pairs and put yourself back to back.
Listen to the music deeply, noticing how
you are experiencing the piece through
your ears, mind, body, skin, ...

29. When music concludes, turn to each
other and each person has 90 seconds
to describe their experience of the
music.
What did you hear? What did you
experience? Go into detail.

30. When all people finish, turn back-to-back
again and put on the same piece of
music.
This time listen to it based on your
partner's descriptions of their experience.
Listen to it through their ears.

31. What was the experience like the second
time through?
What happened?

32. Troika Consultations
Get Practical and Imaginative Help from Colleagues Immediately

33. Sequence of Steps & Timing
1. Form trios. Decide on who will go first.
2. First person has 1 minute to share their
challenge-at-hand.
3. Consultants have 1 minute to ask clarifying
questions.
4. Person receiving consultation turns back and
listens as consultants discuss what they
heard and go wild with suggestions, further
questions, and bold ideas.

34. Troika Invitation
Take a minute to identify a challenge you want
help on.
This will be a chance to get strength from two
other people, so be bold!

35. Microstructural Debrief
What was structured about Troika?
What difference did the variation in space make?
What was liberated?
What ideas do you have for when/how you might use it?
Who do you need to invite to give you a consultation?

36. Snowstorm
• Write down one key thing you have learnt today
• Screw the paper up
• On the signal, throw your paper snowball in the air
• Pick up a snowball that lands near you
and read it aloud to 3 people around you
Photo:ToddDiemer

37. Made available through a Creative Commons Non-
Commercial, Attribution, Share-and-Share Alike License
You can use ‘em, you can share ‘em,
but you can’t sell ‘em
Slide content adapted from materials developed by Keith McCandless
Most photographs by Keith McCandless, others as noted

38. Unleash & involve everyone
Learn how to massively increase collaboration and
communication in groups of any size during this unique
2-day immersion workshop by inventor Keith McCandless
and pioneer Fisher Qua.
For more information or to buy tickets:
http://www.liberatingstructures.eu
Brussels12 Mar – 13 Mar € 700,- Sponsored by iLean.be