Celebrity interview

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At first glance, one could say this structure is almost confusing in its obvious-ness. It’s a host conducting an interview, and incorporating questions from the audience. However this interpretation would be a disservice to this structure. I believe its power lies in bringing it into a situation where the classic choice would be for the Celebrity to be handed a mic to talk.

Facilitation notes

The “questions from the audience” part includes several, subtle twists. Questions are co-developed by multiple members. The host is responsible for curating and contextualizing how it’s asked to the Celebrity, after the first half of the interview has been conducted. The exchange tends to be richer, as questions of a narrower range or interest, as well as topics that have already been covered, are weeded out. There is also no space for the “this is more of a comment” type of audience input. Great!

Workshop design notes

I like the idea of using the label of Celebrity Interview to signal that something special/different is going to happen, for everyone involved.

This entry is part of Liberating Structures Field Notes, my collection of stories and reflections from the field. It's written for people who already know LS and are deepening their practice. If you're just getting started and looking for activity instructions, you'll find them at liberatingstructures.com..