Session Structure
10 minutes: Decide roles
5 minutes: Initial sharing by presenter
30 minutes: Go round with questions and reflections from the rest of the circle members
5 minutes: Closing and next steps
Timings are there to be supportive and make sure there’s sufficient time for each of the sections, and one voice doesn’t dominate. It works better if you respect them.
Decide Roles
Time: 10 minutes
Decide on one person to be facilitator and time keeper for today’s session. This will alternate.
Facilitator invites each participant to share a brief headline (max 1 min each) summary of a reflection / problem they would like to bring
You’ll come to a collective decision on which reflection will be focussed on today.
Initial Sharing
Time: 5 minutes
The person whose reflection is the focus shares in more detail. Some helpful sentence starters:
- ‘I’d like to explore…’
- ‘I’m curious whether…’
- ‘I’m uncertain about…’
- ‘I can’t decide if…’
- ‘I’m confused by…’
During this time, the other participants listen closely (note taking may be helpful) and prepare to reflect back.
Questions & Reflection
Time: 30 minutes
Go round for each other circle member to reflect back and ask questions (max 2 minutes each). The presenter then has an opportunity to answer questions or add any additional reflection before moving onto the next circle member. The reflection and questioning could include:
- A reflection on what you heard
- Questions to prompt further reflection from the presenter (see next page for prompts)
Closing
Time: 5 minutes
The presenter has 3 minutes to share any last reflections and commitments to next steps.