Liberating Structures is a website which shares Meeting ToolChest’s heart for empowering people to reach their potential through better interaction with themselves, their colleagues and their wider networks, and for the same reasons.
In their purpose they say, prominently: We want to create opportunities for everyone (including ourselves) to become what they are capable of becoming. Plus, we want to inspire more kindness and reduce suffering in the world.
Liberating Structures recognises that typical meetings are largely restricted to presentation, discussions (managed and open), status reports and brainstorm sessions … 
and it proposes 33 more ‘liberating structures’ (LS) to better engage and empower people (see their diagram on the right).
and it proposes 33 more ‘liberating structures’ (LS) to better engage and empower people (see their diagram on the right).These LS are predominantly based on different types of questions and different patterns of organising people to engage with those questions. Furthemore the LS can be sequenced in what it refers to as strings.
The term ‘liberating structures’ was used by the great thinking educator Edward de Bono, who said:
We can distinguish between restricting structures and liberating structures. Tools are liberating structures. With the proper tools students will surprise themselves with ideas that they have not had before.
In Meeting Toolchest we take this sentiment to heart, and have many simple but powerful template based tools which can reliably deliver this. However, sometimes a simple question, asked in the right way, of the right grouping of people, can be just as powerful, and this is the basis for a lot of the LS.
The spirit of Liberating Structures seems to be very much about starting small and incorporating more sophisticated options as you grow: Liberating Structures inject tiny shifts in the protocols of how we meet, plan, decide and relate to each other that put in the hands of everyone the facilitative power once reserved for experts only.
A list of LS and their purpose can be found on the right. The application of each is carefully described in 5 sections: Making a structuring invitation; arranging the space; how participation is distributed; how groups are configured; and how the steps are sequenced (time allocated). Further guidance is included in the form of examples, tips and pitfalls.Furthermore Liberating Structures propose 10 leadership principles as follows:
- Include and Unleash Everyone
- Practice Deep Respect for People and Local Solutions
- Build Trust As You Go
- Learn by Failing Forward
- Practice Self-Discovery Within a Group
- Amplify Freedom AND Responsibility
- Emphasize Possibilities: Believe Before You See
- Invite Creative Destruction To Enable Innovation
- Engage In Seriously-Playful Curiosity
- Never Start Without a Clear Purpose
LS is also an active community with networks, courses, and practitioners. You can access the Liberating Structures website here.
Track your progress to ensure the efficacy of this strategy.