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Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 2565f4c5329973139afa37570c5dfe2098d7ff18835f631901dbbaa261ba1434

# What I Need From You (WINFY)

Functional groups formulate explicit requests to other functions and receive strictly bounded answers: Yes, No, I will try, or Whatever.

**Time:** 70 minutes. Matches the 70-minute upper bound of the 55 to 70 minute source allocation, allowing realistic pacing across all 6 phases.
**People:** 6 to 24. 3 to 7 functional clusters of 2 to 4 people; 1 designated spokesperson per cluster sitting in a central circle.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Articulate explicit cross-functional needs and receive clear commitments without debate or negotiation.
**Use it when:** Use when interdependent functional teams, departments, or roles face handoff friction, vague expectations, or recurring cross-team bottlenecks.
**Skip it when:** Skip when groups lack clear functional boundaries, when individuals have not worked together enough to identify mutual needs, or when unresolved conflict requires personal mediation rather than role-based requests.

## Materials and tools

- One WINFY Request and Response Worksheet per functional cluster
- One response reference card per spokesperson listing the four permitted answers: Yes, No, I will try, Whatever
- Scratch paper and pens for all participants
- Chairs arranged in a central fishbowl circle (3 to 7 seats) surrounded by outer cluster tables

## Before participants arrive

1. Define 3 to 7 distinct functional groups or roles before the session begins.
2. Arrange chairs in a central fishbowl circle in the room center (one chair per cluster).
3. Set up cluster seating stations around the perimeter of the room.
4. Place one response reference card at each central chair.
5. Place one WINFY Request and Response Worksheet and scratch paper at each functional cluster table.

## Say this to open

Cross-functional work often stalls because we hint at what we need instead of asking clearly, or we negotiate endlessly. Today, each functional cluster will formulate their top needs across other teams using the phrase: 'What I need from you is...'. Spokespersons will read these requests in a central circle while others listen in silence. Clusters will then decide their answers, and spokespersons will reply using only four allowed responses: Yes, No, I will try, or Whatever. Whatever means the request was too vague or general to answer.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce rules and functional setup (3 minutes)

Explain the four allowable responses: Yes, No, I will try, and Whatever. Clarify that during request exchanges, listeners write in silence and may not reply, justify, or debate. Direct participants into their pre-assigned functional clusters.

### 2. Draft functional requests (12 minutes)

Clusters discuss mutual dependencies. For each other functional cluster present, draft up to two top requests using the format: 'What I need from you is [specific deliverable or action]'. For example: 'What I need from you is the finalized user data export by noon on Tuesdays.' Clusters record these in Part 1 of the worksheet and designate one spokesperson.

### 3. Deliver requests in the circle (15 minutes)

Spokespersons sit in the central fishbowl circle while clusters observe silently. Spokespersons take turns around the circle. Each spokesperson reads all their drafted requests to the circle, specifying the target cluster for each request. Targeted spokespersons write shorthand notes of requests in Part 2 of their worksheet. Enforce absolute silence: no responses, defenses, or comments are permitted.

### 4. Formulate cluster responses (10 minutes)

Spokespersons return to their functional clusters. For every incoming request recorded in Part 2, the cluster confers and assigns exactly one permitted response: Yes, No, I will try, or Whatever. Remind teams that Whatever indicates the request was too vague to evaluate operationally. Do not add conditions, explanations, or caveats.

### 5. Deliver unambiguous answers (15 minutes)

Spokespersons return to the central circle. Each spokesperson takes a turn to deliver all responses for their cluster. In order, the speaking spokesperson addresses the requesting peer, repeats each received request in brief, and states the chosen answer: Yes, No, I will try, or Whatever. Facilitate brisk pacing. Strictly enforce the rule: no elaboration, apology, or debate is allowed.

### 6. Debrief the exchange (15 minutes)

Debrief with the full room using What, So What, Now What. Ask the first debrief question to the room and take 2 or 3 brief reflections. Then invite 1 or 2 comments on the next steps needed for requests that received 'Whatever' or 'I will try'.


## Debrief questions

- What patterns did you notice between requests that received an immediate 'Yes' versus those that received 'Whatever' or 'No'?
- So what does this tell us about how clearly or vaguely we ask for help across team boundaries?
- Now what specific follow-up conversation is needed this week for any request marked 'Whatever' or 'I will try'?

**Finished output:** A completed written record of explicit cross-functional requests paired with unambiguous commitments (Yes, No, I will try, Whatever) across all participating clusters.

## Remote

Use a main video room and separate breakout rooms for each functional cluster. Provide a shared digital worksheet with tabs for each cluster. In Step 3, bring all participants to the main room; only spokespersons keep cameras and microphones on while all others observe silently. In Step 4, return clusters to breakout rooms to choose their answers. In Step 5, assemble in the main room where spokespersons unmute in sequence to state their bounded responses.

## Hybrid

Keep in-person cluster members together at physical room tables equipped with microphones. Group remote participants into distinct functional clusters or connect them to their physical cluster via a laptop station. During Steps 3 and 5, display remote spokespersons on the main room screen so all participants hear requests and answers simultaneously.

## Access and participation choices

- Spokesperson duty is voluntary; cluster members select who sits in the central circle without penalty.
- Clusters may state 'No request at this time' toward any particular group.
- Participants with hearing or speech accommodations may provide their written requests and responses on digital cards or have a designated co-spokesperson read them.

## If the session gets stuck

**A spokesperson begins explaining or defending why they chose 'No' or 'I will try'.**

Gently interrupt immediately: 'In WINFY we hold to the strict rule: only the four words are permitted now. You will have time to coordinate details afterward.'

**A group writes a vague complaint rather than an actionable deliverable (for example, 'What I need from you is better respect').**

Remind the receiving spokesperson that if a request lacks an actionable deliverable, their appropriate response is 'Whatever'.


## Terms used here

- Whatever: A defined response code indicating that the submitted request was too vague, general, or unmeasurable to provide an operational answer.
- Functional Cluster: A small group representing a distinct role, discipline, or department sharing mutual deliverables.

## Participant material: WINFY Request and Response Worksheet

FUNCTIONAL CLUSTER NAME: ____________________
SPOKESPERSON: ____________________

PART 1: OUTGOING REQUESTS
Identify each other functional cluster in the room. For each cluster present, draft up to two concrete requests.
Format: 'What I need from you is [concrete deliverable, action, or deadline].'
(Note: Fill in only as many other clusters as exist in the room today. If fewer than 6 other clusters are present, leave unused sections blank.)

Target Cluster 1: ____________________
  Request A: What I need from you is ________________________________________
  Request B: What I need from you is ________________________________________

Target Cluster 2: ____________________
  Request A: What I need from you is ________________________________________
  Request B: What I need from you is ________________________________________

Target Cluster 3: ____________________
  Request A: What I need from you is ________________________________________
  Request B: What I need from you is ________________________________________

Target Cluster 4: ____________________
  Request A: What I need from you is ________________________________________
  Request B: What I need from you is ________________________________________

Target Cluster 5: ____________________
  Request A: What I need from you is ________________________________________
  Request B: What I need from you is ________________________________________

Target Cluster 6: ____________________
  Request A: What I need from you is ________________________________________
  Request B: What I need from you is ________________________________________


PART 2: INCOMING REQUESTS RECEIVED FROM OTHER FUNCTIONS
(Spokespersons: note the sender and shorthand deliverable during Step 3. Record cluster response in Step 4. Use only as many slots as needed for incoming requests; leave unused slots blank.)
Permitted answers: YES | NO | I WILL TRY | WHATEVER
('Whatever' = request was too vague or general to give an operational answer)

Slot 1  | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 2  | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 3  | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 4  | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 5  | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 6  | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 7  | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 8  | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 9  | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 10 | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 11 | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

Slot 12 | From: _________________ | Request: _________________________________
Response: [  ] YES   [  ] NO   [  ] I WILL TRY   [  ] WHATEVER

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Liberating Structures by Keith McCandless and Henri Lipmanowicz, drawing inspiration from Kathie Dannemiller and Dan Pesut.

Preserved core Liberating Structures mechanics: 3 to 7 clusters, central fishbowl spokesperson circle, 'What I need from you is...' formulation, and the four bounded responses (Yes, No, I will try, Whatever). Total run time is 70 minutes (upper bound of the source 55 to 70 minute range) across six distinct phases. Clarified spokespersons take concise shorthand notes rather than verbatim transcripts during the central circle exchanges. Refined instructions and worksheet notes to explicitly address variable cluster counts (3 to 7) so unused slots remain cleanly blank, and specified the orderly per-spokesperson delivery sequence during reading and response phases.

[Liberating Structures](https://www.liberatingstructures.com/24-what-i-need-from-you-winfy/)

[Liberating Structures](http://www.liberatingstructures.com/24-what-i-need-from-you-winfy/)

[SessionLab](https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/what-i-need-from-you-winfy#)

[SessionLab Methods](https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/what-i-need-from-you-winfy)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/what-i-need-from-you-winfy/