Below is an example using the design of 1-2-4-All. When you are clear about each of the elements, using a Liberating Structure feels effortless.

Liberating Structures make it possible to include everybody regardless of group size and distribute the control of content among all participants.

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We are well aware that structures such as buildings and organizational policies and operating processes support and constrain our activities. We tend to be much less conscious of smaller structures that influence our interactions with other people. In contrast to more tangible macrostructures, we call them microstructures.

It is possible to overlook the power of Liberating Structures by focusing only on the individual methods or microstructures.  They function as an interrelated set inspired by ten liberating principles. When we decide we belong together and will shape the future together, LS principles guide our behavior. Detailed descriptions here.

LS can be chosen and implemented regardless of personal style, emotional intelligence, or charisma. In contrast to the typical story about leadership requiring a set of personal qualities that people are born with or need to develop through extensive training, you can use microstructures successfully if you are introverted and don't like to make eye contact.

Liberating Structures are designed with variations on these five structural elements. The elements are the minimum specifications (Min Specs) or essential foundation required to generate results with each Liberating Structure. Understanding this foundation helps you prepare when leading and facilitating with LS.

Five elements define the underlying design of all microstructures—conventional or liberating. We call them design elements because you can make choices about them based on what you want to accomplish. The five design elements for a conventional presentation or lecture are illustrated below:

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The five most commonly used microstructures are presentations, open discussions, managed discussions, status reports, and brainstorming sessions.

Consciously or not, microstructures are the way you organize all your routine interactions. They guide and control how groups work together. They shape your conversations and meetings.

Often, the familiar microstructures become frozen in routine and, in the process, become invisible. Operating on autopilot, we use the same microstructures over and over and easily loose sight of their role and influence. Their importance becomes immediately apparent when we start using a greater variety of microstructures like Liberating Structures. It forces us to be much clearer on our purpose in order to decide which one or which combination to use.

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