Method guide · Progress through phases
Helping Heuristics
Try four ways of responding to a request for help and observe which ones expand or narrow the help-seeker's options.
- People
- 3–30
- Base procedure time
- 30 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Build working relationships; Explore through dialogue.
English guide
Text acceptance is not approval of this rendered page, its media, or publication.
How this method works
A method for safely trying responses to asking for, offering, and receiving help in groups of 3–5. Use it in support situations where rushing to provide an answer makes it harder for the person to find their own next step. Keep the roles of help-seeker, responder, and observers fixed and briefly act out four responses: listening quietly, exploring through questions, making suggestions, and developing each other's ideas. Observers give specific feedback on approaches that were received and those that were blocked. Before ending the roles, check which responses expanded the help-seeker's options. Do not use it where people are pressured to disclose the content of a consultation or where differences in authority cannot be addressed.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
Use the arrow keys, Home or End while these controls have focus. The complete phase schedule remains below, including without JavaScript.
- Offer the invitation0–3 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Invite. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Choose roles3–6 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Act. Participation: Groups of 3–5.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Try four responses6–18 minutes from the start (12 minutes)
Action: Try. Participation: Groups of 3–5.
Individual record
- Share observations18–26 minutes from the start (8 minutes)
Action: Reflect. Participation: Groups of 3–5.
Shared record
- Bring learning together26–30 minutes from the start (4 minutes)
Action: Share. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 3 minutes, confirm with everyone the scope of the consultation and the agreement to prioritise observation over advice.
- For 3 minutes, each group chooses one help-seeker and one responder, with the others as observers. The help-seeker chooses one challenge they are comfortable discussing.
- For 12 minutes, try the four responses one at a time. Observers record on their sheets the words or pauses where acceptance and blocking occurred.
- For 8 minutes, hear in order from the help-seeker, responder, and observers about the responses that expanded or narrowed the options.
- For 4 minutes, share one learning point at a time with the whole group and record a response to try in the next support situation.
If something changes
If
After 3 minutes, the help-seeker still cannot choose a topic.
Then
Narrow the scope from an actual case to a small, recent situation they found difficult.
If
Of the four responses, only suggestions continue to be used.
Then
In the next round, have the responder use only questions and have the observers count the speaking turns.
If
Even one judgement about someone's character appears in the reflection.
Then
Remove the judgement and restate the observation in terms of the words heard, pauses, and order of responses.
Preparation
Materials
- One short, self-made guide to the four response patterns per group of 3–5
- One A4 reflection sheet per participant
- One writing implement per participant
Room and setup
- A place for each group of 3–5 to sit or stand, without a table
- One wall surface or screen for whole-group sharing
Adjust for people and time
With 3–5 people, make one group with one help-seeker and one responder; the others are observers. With 6–30 people, use groups of 3 as the standard. If 1 person remains, make one group of 4; if 2 remain, make two groups of 4. Additional participants are observers. Prepare one guide per group and one reflection sheet and writing implement per person. If there are more than 10 groups, post one sentence per group on a wall for whole-group sharing and limit read-aloud contributions to 3 groups. Online, give each group the same guide and have observers keep shared notes.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Let the help-seeker choose a challenge they are comfortable discussing; do not pressure them to disclose consultation details. Do not use the method where differences in authority cannot be addressed. Keep feedback about observed words, pauses, and responses rather than judging character, and check how each response affected the help-seeker's options.
Historical translation and source notes
These original notes are retained verbatim with their fixed source versions. This historical label does not resolve a source-specific concern or establish current acceptance.
- The Japanese source includes guidance for more than 10 groups, although its stated maximum of 30 participants and standard groups of 3 do not reach that condition. This draft retains both statements without expanding the stated participant range.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Liberating Structures Fieldbook (2026) — Henri Lipmanowicz; Keith McCandless; Nancy White
https://www.liberatingstructures.com/helping-heuristics
Adaptation under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes made
- Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Current-page licence notice
This explanation is an adaptation for Taiwa no Fumen based on the official Liberating Structures page linked below. The manuscript's recorded references are listed separately from the web page checked on 17 October 2026.
Changes: the Japanese explanation and facilitation plan have been edited for Taiwa no Fumen. The English edition translates that Japanese manuscript; it is not a verbatim translation of the official page.
The LS-adapted text on this page, including this site's editorial and translation contributions, is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. When reusing it, credit the creators, identify the source and licence, indicate changes, and follow the licence's ShareAlike terms when sharing adaptations.
This site's notation diagrams and on-screen illustrations explain the facilitation process. They are not presented as official LS icons.
Method names are used to identify their sources. This is not an official LS website, and no endorsement or approval by the creators or rights holders is implied.
This notice does not grant blanket permission to reuse third-party photographs, logos or linked materials. Trademark, personality and other rights are addressed separately.
Materials created before June 2026 may carry different terms. Check the terms attached to an older item before reusing it.
To the extent permitted by law, the source materials and adaptations are provided without warranties. See the legal code for details.
Credits on the checked source page
- Developed by: Henri Lipmanowicz, Keith McCandless
Related work credited on that page: Edgar Schein.
Source page checked on 2026-10-17: Helping Heuristics.
Source lineage
- Original repertoire (2013): Henri Lipmanowicz, Keith McCandless
- 2026 Fieldbook: Keith McCandless, Nancy White
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International · Legal code · Official source policy
This material-specific notice does not itself establish publication clearance. Preserved manuscript references above remain separate from the current page's credits and licence evidence.
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
English video-library navigation. Original Japanese audio, subtitles and transcripts remain labelled Japanese resources. Their translations are separate later work. No remote player is embedded here.
The manual English phase controls are a navigation aid, not a live facilitation timer. Interactive diagram motion remains pending.
Editorial provenance
Japanese source status and logs are provenance only. They do not mean this English text or interface was field-tested. Historical fixed-text acceptance and hold records remain specific to their recorded versions; displaying them neither asserts current acceptance nor resolves source-specific restrictions.
Original source log (Japanese)
2026-07-24 · Recorded participant count: 1
2026-07-24の受入宣言に基づく一括記録(15手法)。個別セッションの実測値ではない。