What I Need From You

Purpose

What I Need From You (WINFY) clears the air between interdependent groups by giving each the chance to make concrete requests of the others and receive honest responses. It replaces passive-aggressive assumptions with direct, structured dialogue. Use it when collaboration between teams, departments, or roles is strained by unspoken expectations.

At a glance

• Group size: 8–60 people (2–6 stakeholder groups)
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Facilitation style: Structured
• Setting: Indoor / Remote-friendly

How to run

1. Group formation (3 min): Participants sit with their stakeholder group (e.g., engineering, design, product).
2. Prepare requests (7 min): Each group identifies its top 2–3 concrete needs from the other groups.
3. Present requests (10 min): Each group reads its requests aloud to the others. No discussion yet — just listening.
4. Prepare responses (5 min): Each group discusses how to respond to the requests made of them. Four allowed responses: Yes, No, I will try, Whatever you need.
5. Deliver responses (5 min): Groups respond publicly. The constraint of four responses prevents waffling.

Materials needed

• Flip charts (one per group) for writing requests
• Markers
• Response cards or printed response options
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Vague requests ("We need more communication") — coach groups to be specific: "We need a weekly 15-minute status update by Friday."
• Taking "No" personally — frame it as clarity, not rejection. An honest "No" is more valuable than a dishonest "Yes."
• Skipping the public response — without it, requests float unanswered and trust erodes.

Inclusion & accessibility

• The written preparation phase ensures all group members can contribute to the requests.
• The structured responses prevent dominant personalities from monologuing.
• For remote: use breakout rooms for prep, then return to plenary for the exchange.

Variations

• WINFY + Follow-up agreements: After the session, pairs of groups meet to formalise accepted requests into working agreements.
• WINFY Lite: Two groups only, useful for a bilateral relationship repair.
• Reverse WINFY: Groups first state what they commit to offering the others, then make requests.

When NOT to use this

Avoid WINFY when a deep interpersonal conflict needs mediation rather than structural clarification, or when groups are too unequal in power for honest "No" responses to feel safe.

Source & further reading

Developed by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless as part of Liberating Structures. See liberatingstructures.com.