Every new idea gets thoroughly judged before it's allowed to try anything.
Recognize this situation? Below are the Liberating Structures that change it — a concrete example, and the reason this one fits here. New to Liberating Structures? Here's what it is.
Talking with Pixies gives the inner critic its own role, instead of letting it invisibly slow down every idea.
For example: A junior colleague suggests a new way to handle customer requests. Before the idea is ever tried, it first goes through three rounds of evaluation — by which time the colleague has long since stopped proposing anything.
Liberating Structures for this situation:
Improv Prototyping
Improv Prototyping lets an idea play out before it's judged: a few participants act out a short improvised scene of the new approach while everyone else watches — no judgment upfront, just trying it.
After the scene, the whole group debriefs which "chunks" worked, and small groups assemble those chunks into an improved prototype that gets played out again right away. Judgment comes after the trying, not before it.
Talking with Pixies
Talking with Pixies gives the inner doubt itself a playful form: someone shares a moment where they're stuck, and four roles — listener, interviewer, innovator-pixie, and protector-pixie — question it from both sides: what might be possible, and what's holding it back.
By literally giving the inner critic a role and a voice, the judgment reflex itself becomes discussable — instead of invisibly slowing down every new idea in advance.
No certification, no lengthy prep — read the steps and try it at your next meeting.
Keep exploring
Browse the full list of 43 structures, or get support if this situation is too complex to facilitate yourself.