Method guide · Arrange people and ideas
Principle Stations
Explore the gap between stated principles and daily behaviour through three different questions and self-selected groups.
- People
- 6–40
- Base procedure time
- 45 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Build working relationships; Reflect and learn.
English guide
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How this method works
A method for bringing behavioural principles closer to daily actions through three different questions. Use it where stated principles and actual habits differ. In every round, each person chooses the location of the principle that resonates most. Talking in small groups about concrete examples and gaps reveals the difference between abstract agreement and everyday behaviour. Offer writing, having text read aloud, staying in one place, and passing; do not ask one person to speak for an entire group. Retain possible actions and matters to check under each principle, but do not treat them as adoption decisions. This description is an original adaptation of the current 2026 Liberating Structures method under CC BY-SA 4.0. Do not run it to change laws, safety rules, ethical requirements, or authorised decisions through majority opinion.
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.
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- Check which principles may change and within what scope0–5 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Check. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
- Reflect individually on principles and daily behaviour5–15 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Reflect. Participation: Individually.
Shared record
- Choose the most resonant principle for three different questions15–30 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Choose. Participation: Self-selected groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Reconsider principles through examples and gaps30–40 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Reconsider. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Specify possible actions and matters to check40–45 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Specify. Participation: Everyone, with the option to pass.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 5 minutes, confirm which behavioural principles may change and the scope within which laws, safety rules, and ethical requirements will not be changed.
- For 10 minutes, each person reads the principles and writes on their own sheet a concrete example of alignment with daily behaviour or a gap.
- For 15 minutes, present 3 different questions for 5 minutes each. Each time, people select the principle that resonates most and discuss it in small groups.
- For 10 minutes, add one card each for a concrete example, question, and gap concerning the principle last chosen, without including people's names.
- For 5 minutes, bring back one possible action and one matter to check. Instead of making an adoption decision, write whom to consult and by when.
If something changes
If
Five or more people gather around one principle sheet and, after 2 minutes, not everyone has offered a concrete example.
Then
Divide people who chose that principle into groups of 2–4, give each group one recording sheet, then resume the rounds.
If
At least one example contains a person's name, attributes, health information, harm experienced, employment evaluation, or a non-public incident.
Then
Stop displaying and presenting it. Have the person rewrite it as observable behaviour that does not identify anyone. Shred any sheet that is not rewritten.
If
At least one proposal would change laws, safety rules, ethical requirements, or an authorised decision through majority opinion.
Then
Move it to matters to check, not adoption candidates, and record the formal decision-maker, specialist to consult, and consultation deadline.
Preparation
Materials
- 4 self-made principle sheets for the group, each stating one of the 4 selected behavioural principles
- One concrete-example recording sheet per circulating group of 2–4
- Cards in 3 colours to separate examples, questions, and matters to check: 3 of each colour per person
- One set of choice cards per person: staying in one place, having text read aloud, writing, passing, and leaving
- One thick pen per person
- One opaque bag for material containing sensitive information that is to be shredded
Room and setup
- Display 4 changeable behavioural principles at 4 separate locations. Prepare additional spaces for small-group recording sheets and seats for people participating from a fixed position.
- Display 3 different questions. In each round, people choose for themselves the principle that resonates most. Treat writing, having text read aloud, pointing, and passing as equally valid participation.
- Do not use the principles to evaluate people or conduct a majority vote. Separate laws, safety rules, ethical requirements, and decisions by authorised people as matters to check.
Adjust for people and time
Use this method with 6–40 people. After people choose a principle in each round, divide any gathering of 5 or more into groups of 2–4, with group sizes differing by no more than 1 person. A person alone may choose individual writing. Do not automatically merge the small groups' examples. Retain possible actions and matters to check by principle. With 41 or more people, use separate sessions.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Offer writing, having text read aloud, pointing, staying in one place, passing, and leaving. Do not ask one person to represent a whole group or use the principles to evaluate people. Stop display of identifying or sensitive examples and have their author rewrite them; shred sheets that are not rewritten. Do not treat possible actions as adoption decisions or use majority opinion to change laws, safety rules, ethical requirements, or authorised decisions. Refer those matters to the formal decision-maker and appropriate specialist.
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 source specifies three different questions but does not provide their wording; none is invented here.
- The individual reflection step refers to a personal sheet, while the materials list specifies small-group recording sheets but no separate personal-sheet quantity. Both fields are retained without changing the materials list.
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: Five Structural Elements; Steps and Time Allocation
https://www.liberatingstructures.com/principles-walkaround
Adaptation under CC-BY-SA-4.0; changes made
- Conditions of CC-BY-SA-4.0
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.
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Credits on the checked source page
- Developed by: Fisher Qua, Keith McCandless
- Developed with: Seattle LS User Group
Source page checked on 2026-10-17: Principles Walk-Around.
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
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Editorial provenance
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