SDX 52: Using Liberating Structures for Shared Sensemaking

In a world where uncertainty seems to be accelerating, the real advantage isn’t predicting the future - it’s strengthening our collective capacity to adapt, respond, and stay oriented together.

Led by Stefan Morales, this interactive workshop blends futures work with the participatory power of Liberating Structures (LS). Instead of offering fixed answers, we’ll create the conditions for everyone in the room to shape the content, direction, and insights that matter most to them. Through shared exploration, creative constraint-breaking, and peer-to-peer problem solving, we’ll experiment with ways groups can navigate complexity without defaulting to top-down control or false certainty. And we'll have fun doing it!

Together we will:

• explore what’s in motion in our systems and contexts,
• consider several plausible futures and how they might influence our choices,
• notice the stances, skills, and patterns that support grounded action in turbulence, and
• tap into our collective intelligence to support one another’s real challenges.

Did you attend SDX51 with Adam Kahane? If you found yourself curious about some of the tools that Adam Kahane and others use in scenario work, then you'll get to experience these and learn how to do them on your own in this session.

Stefan Morales is founder of Working Together Consulting and Associate at Greaterthan. He specializes in organizational development, social design, facilitation, and public engagement. He supports people and projects striving to build a regenerative future by helping them liberate creativity, discover opportunities, gather momentum, and scale the impact of their good, big work.

Who is this workshop for? This session is designed for facilitators, designers, consultants, system-change practitioners, and anyone curious about distributing participation, sensemaking, and decision-shaping in complex environments.

This workshop is a taster for an upcoming in-person Liberating Structures (LS) Immersion focused on experiencing and practicing over a dozen LS and LS in development. Express your interest by joining the waitlist.

📅 Date: January 29th

⏰ Time: 1:00 - 4:00 PM, doors will open at 12:45 PM

📍 Location: Action Lab, 10408 124 Street Edmonton, Suite #210

Note: You can't see Action Lab from the street but the YWCA is located on the bottom floor of the building and can be a helpful signal that you have found the right spot! The Action Lab is on the second floor of the building to the left as you exit the elevators.

Access Notes

More information about the venue including accessibility information can be found on the Action Lab website.

As SDX, we strive to make our gatherings as welcoming and accessible as possible. At the same time, we recognize that not every event will meet every accessibility need, and there may be barriers that prevent some people from fully participating. 

We remain committed to doing our best within the resources and contexts of each event, while also being transparent about the limits of what we can provide. If you anticipate or encounter barriers to participation at an SDX event, please feel free to connect with us at sdxpractice@gmail.com so we can work with you where possible.

FAQs

Where can I find more information about SDX?

• Web Page: https://www.actionlab.ca/sdx
• Twitter: @SDXCoP
• Medium: Blog @SDX

I have an idea I would like to explore at SDX. What's my first step?

Great! If you have an idea you would like to explore with SDX or are interested in leading a session, we'd love to chat. We are happy to use our convening power to explore a suitable idea or challenge. Connect with us via sdxpractice@gmail.com.

Why does this cost money to attend?

There is a small charge for this event to help us cover the costs associated with hosting. We try our best to keep the cost of events minimal and we never want money to be a barrier for folks. If the ticket price doesn’t work for you, please contact us in confidence and let us know at sdxpractice@gmail.com.