Liberating Structures are activities that foster engagement by encouraging everyone to participate -- not only by speaking up  but also by co-creating the content and outcome​.  For an example, check out my instructions for the Ecocycle, a simple activity that will help you capture the big picture of a topic, relationship or challenge. 
 

If you'd like to experience the three most versatile Liberating Structures or try out the Ecyocycle, I'd be happy run a short demonstration for you! To set up a session that introduces liberating structures by working on a particular issue or challenge your group faces, contact me.

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Fair warning: I use liberating structures in nearly every live event I run online. To learn more, watch these videos or visit the Liberating Structures website. 

Appreciative Inquiry is a collaborative and highly participatory approach that groups can use to identify their strengths and shared aspirations. Appreciative Inquiry helps groups see problems and challenges as opportunities so they can co-create a better future. It rests on the belief that an organization can be recreated by curious, creative and engaging conversations. 
 

When planning for the future, groups can focus on their Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and (desired) Results (SOAR).  The SOAR process is a positive alternative to the traditional strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) analysis. To learn more about the SOAR process, visit this website. 

Integral Facilitation is a holistic framework that enables a facilitator to be aware of all the things going on in a meeting:  what the group is doing, how it is doing it, what is going on relationally within the group, and what the facilitator is experiencing.  

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To learn more, read this Intro to Integral Facilitation

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I'm a certified teacher for the Journey of Facilitation and Collaboration​ 5-day leadership immersion experience based on Integral Facilitation.  I teach a shorter course introducing integral facilitation on the Damascus Project Network. 

Convergent Facilitation is an effective decision-making process that builds trust from the beginning, surfaces concerns and addresses them, and turns conflicts into creative dilemmas that groups feel energized to solve together.

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To learn more, read this introduction to convergent facilitation and what I've learned from practicing it.  I highly recommend checking out the Convergent Facilitation website and reading the book The Highest Common Denominator: Using Convergent Facilitation to Reach Breakthrough Collaborative Decisions by Miki Kashtan.

Clean Language. is a set of questions and a way of asking them that enables the listener to really focus what a person is saying and what it means to them.  Developed by the late David Grove, these questions are easy to learn and highly versatile. Clean Language questions can help you explore differences of opinion with great curiousity and respect, at home and at work.  

 

For tips on using Clean Language every day, find suggestions here.  Visit this website to learn how Clean Language can be used while facilitating meetings. 

For a more in-depth look, read Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds by Wendy Sullivan and Judy Rees or From Contempt to Curiosity by Caitlyn Walker. 

Positive agreements are a legitimate alternative to contracts, which are typically worded negatively to avoid what the parties don't want and are rooted in fear.  I prefer to develop positive agreements with clients up front about what we want, how we work together, who is responsible for what and how we will amend the agreement as things come up (because they will).  I believe that taking the time to develop a clear agreement up front minimizes the likelihood of misunderstandings and costly conflicts later.  Learn more about my preferences here. 

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To learn more, read The Book of Agreement by attorney Stewart Levine who describes 10 essential elements for agreements and provides 30 model agreements you (we) can emulate. You can order the book here.