Facilitator, participant, or both?
“Can you be a Liberating Structures facilitator and participant at the same time?”
If the question hadn’t included LS, my answer would have been a clear “no.” As a facilitator, you don’t actively participate in the workshop. You remain as neutral as possible and leave the content creation, ideas, improvements, solutions, and decisions to the participants. Of course, you influence the outcome through the structures you select, the exercises you design, and the questions you ask. But that’s not the same as being a participant.
If you’re the facilitator and decide to use Liberating Structures, my answer would still be the same. You don’t actively participate.
But…
In my ideal world, Liberating Structures are used all the time, without a facilitator. Although, admittedly, that could mean I need to find another job. 😅
That’s also how they were intended and designed. They are simple enough for everyone to use without relying on a facilitator. Liberating Structures are techniques for everyday users. Ideally, people simply decide to run a 1–2–4-ALL, Troika Consulting, Nine Whys, or another structure they think will help them get the most out of their gathering.
It’s actually no different from participants deciding to give a presentation, provide a status update, have a discussion, or brainstorm some ideas. Sure, sometimes there’s a facilitator in the room. But often, people just do it themselves.
It’s the same with Liberating Structures. Just do it. And with most structures, you can run the structure and participate in it yourself.
So, can you be a Liberating Structures facilitator and participant at the same time?
Yes! ✅
Not because the facilitator suddenly becomes a participant, but because with Liberating Structures, you don’t necessarily need a facilitator in the first place. The person who introduces and runs the structure can simply be a participant.
And that’s one of the most interesting things about Liberating Structures:
They help people structure their own interactions. 💪
