Creating meaningful participation is at the heart of effective teaching, leadership, and organizational change. One of the most impactful facilitation frameworks I have used throughout my career is Liberating Structures, a collection of simple yet powerful methods that foster collaboration, encourage inclusive participation, and help groups generate better ideas and stronger outcomes.
Unlike traditional meetings or classrooms where a small number of voices often dominate the conversation, Liberating Structures are designed to engage everyone. These evidence-informed facilitation techniques create opportunities for participants to think creatively, solve complex problems, build trust, and contribute their unique perspectives. Throughout my career, I have incorporated Liberating Structures into higher education, leadership development, strategic planning, professional development, student engagement, and organizational change initiatives.
As a Liberating Structures Catalyst at Washington State University, I helped introduce and expand the use of Liberating Structures across the university. Working with the WSU Professional Development Initiative (PDI) and the WSU Liberating Structures Design Team, I coordinated workshops and facilitated interactive learning experiences for graduate students, faculty, and staff.
One of the highlights of this work was coordinating a three-day immersive Liberating Structures Workshop in April 2016. The event brought together more than 20 experienced Liberating Structures practitioners from across the United States to explore innovative approaches to teaching, research collaboration, organizational leadership, and institutional change. The workshop provided participants with hands-on experience using Liberating Structures while building a campus-wide community committed to more engaging, collaborative, and inclusive learning environments.
Beyond large conferences, I facilitated numerous workshops and smaller learning sessions, helping faculty, staff, and student leaders develop practical facilitation skills that promoted shared leadership, active participation, and creative problem-solving.
Today, the principles of Liberating Structures continue to shape my approach to consulting, leadership, facilitation, teaching, and organizational development. Whether I am working with executive leadership teams, faculty, nonprofit organizations, or conference attendees, I strive to create environments where collaboration is intentional, participation is equitable, and everyone leaves with a sense of ownership in the outcomes.
Leadership & Service
Washington State University
- Liberating Structures Catalyst
- Member of the WSU Liberating Structures Design Team
- Partnered with the Professional Development Initiative (PDI) to expand the use of Liberating Structures across campus.
- Coordinated the three-day Liberating Structures Workshop (April 2016).
- Facilitated workshops for faculty, staff, graduate students, and student leaders.
- Promoted inclusive facilitation, collaborative learning, and organizational innovation through Liberating Structures.
Workshop Resources
2016 Liberating Structures Workshop
2014 Liberating Structures Workshop
In November 2014, I co-facilitated an introductory Liberating Structures workshop with Laura Griner Hill at Washington State University. Sponsored by the WSU Provost’s Office, the WSU Teaching Academy, and WSU Global Campus, the workshop introduced faculty and staff to Liberating Structures as practical alternatives to traditional lectures and unstructured discussions.
Participants explored a variety of the 33 Liberating Structures microstructures and learned strategies for creating more engaging classrooms, productive meetings, and collaborative learning environments that support student success.
2014 Workshop Resources
2014 Liberating Structures Powerpoint
Related Scholarship
My work with Liberating Structures extended far beyond facilitation and professional development. As part of my doctoral research at Washington State University, Liberating Structures became a central component of my dissertation, where I examined how media literacy education and inclusive facilitation could reduce disability bias among college students.
My dissertation, Cutting the Cord to Conventional Structures: The Role of Media Literacy Programs and Liberating Structures in Changing College Students’ Perceptions of Individuals with Disabilities, explored whether combining a disability-focused media literacy curriculum with Liberating Structures could influence students’ implicit and explicit attitudes toward people with disabilities.
Using an experimental research design, undergraduate students participated in either a disability media literacy curriculum utilizing Liberating Structures or a control curriculum. The findings demonstrated that students who participated in the Liberating Structures-based curriculum showed measurable improvements in critical thinking, inclusive group participation, and meaningful dialogue. Participants also demonstrated increased skepticism toward inaccurate disability portrayals in the media, reductions in implicit disability bias, and a deeper understanding of disability-related issues.
Qualitative findings further showed that Liberating Structures created more inclusive learning environments than traditional classroom discussions. Students reported greater opportunities to contribute, stronger engagement with their peers, and more thoughtful reflection throughout the learning process. The study also suggested that participants began moving from precontemplation toward contemplation in their attitudes about disability, an important first step in long-term behavior change.
This research reinforced what I continue to see in my consulting and facilitation work today: when people are intentionally invited into structured, collaborative conversations where every voice is valued, they engage more deeply, think more critically, and become more open to challenging their own assumptions. That philosophy continues to shape my work as an educator, facilitator, consultant, and higher education leader.
Related Scholarship
Kallman, D. (2020). Cutting the Cord to Conventional Structures: The Role of Media Literacy Programs and Liberating Structures in Changing College Students’ Perceptions of Individuals with Disabilities.
Dissertation Abstract
This mixed-methods experimental study examined whether combining a disability-focused media literacy curriculum with Liberating Structures could reduce implicit and explicit disability bias among undergraduate students. The findings demonstrated improvements in critical thinking, inclusive group participation, disability knowledge, and attitudes toward people with disabilities, while highlighting the effectiveness of Liberating Structures as a facilitation framework for creating more equitable and engaging learning environments.
View the Dissertation