Liberating Structures Meetup: Nine Whys

Liberating Structures, created by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless, offer a fresh, practical way to collaborate. These 33 simple microstructures help any group unlock the insights and contributions of everyone involved. In this hands-on meetup, you’ll experience how they bring energy, trust, and collective intelligence to life.

Topic of this meetup

During this third meetup, we'll focus on Nine Whys. It helps uncover the deeper purpose behind what people do or want to achieve. By repeatedly asking “Why is that important to you?”—ideally, up to nine times—you move from surface-level goals to the core motivation or shared purpose that drives action. It’s simple yet powerful for creating meaning and alignment within, for example, a team. The exercise often reveals surprising connections between individual and collective intentions.

What to expect

• Practice the original Nine Whys steps.
• Try out different tweaks and variations.
• Learn how to combine it with other Liberating Structures.
• Exchange experiences, ideas, and insights with others.
• As a bonus, we'll use other LS to explore Nine Whys.

Who should attend

This meetup is open to everyone — no prior experience is required. Whether you’re just discovering Liberating Structures or looking for new inspiration as a seasoned practitioner, you’re very welcome.

Max 3 people from the same organization

To maintain diversity, we kindly request that no more than three people from the same organization participate. We don’t check this strictly — it’s just to make sure we get a nice mix of perspectives.

Sign up = Show up

Since this is an in-person meetup, seats are limited. When you sign up, please commit to showing up — every spot counts. If you can’t make it, cancel your ticket so someone else can take your place.

Language

Even though this description is in English, we’ll speak Dutch, unless others prefer English. If that’s the case, I’ll switch to English, and you can use whichever language feels most comfortable in your small groups.

Practical stuff

The meetup takes place at deltaWonen in Zwolle. We start at 13:30 sharp (doors open at 13:00) and wrap up at 16:00. We’ll stick around for some snacks and drinks—so if you’ve got time to hang out, we’d love that.

About The Liberators

As The Liberators, we aim to liberate teams from ineffective work practices by empowering them to shape their future. To achieve this, we create products to unleash the superpowers of (Agile) teams worldwide. We share a wide variety of content and support a community that learns and grows together.

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