Here are examples of various circle guidelines:
Women of Spirit and Faith Guidelines
When we are in circle conversations, we agree to:
• Speak from our heart and from our own experience.
• Listen with respect, compassion and curiosity.
• Hold stories or personal material in confidentiality.
• Be willing to discover and explore, noticing patterns, themes, new questions.
Millionth Circle Guidelines
www.millionthcircle.org
• Create a circle.
• Consider it a sacred space.
• One person speaks at a time.
• Speak and listen from the heart.
• Encourage and welcome diverse points of view.
• Listen with discernment instead of judgment.
• Share leadership and resources.
• Decide together how decisions will be made.
• Work toward consensus when possible.
• Offer experience instead of advice.
• When in doubt or need, pause and silently ask for guidance.
• Decide together what is to be held in confidence.
• Speak from your own experience and beliefs rather than speaking for others.
• Open and close the circle by hearing each voice. (Check-ins and check-outs.)
PeerSpirit – Components of the Circle
www.peerspirit.com
• Intention
• Welcome Start-point
• Center and Check-in/Greeting
• Agreements
• Three Principles and Three Practices
• Guardian of process
• Check-out and Farewell
THREE PRINCIPLES:
The circle is an all leader group.
1. Leadership rotates among all circle members.
2. Responsibility is shared for the quality of experience.
3. Reliance is on wholeness, rather than on any personal agenda.
THREE PRACTICES:
1. To speak with intention: noting what has relevance to the conversation in the moment.
2. To listen with attention: respectful of the learning process for all members of the group.
3. To tend the well-being of the circle: remaining aware of the impact of our contributions.