You can support the podcast here

In this episode Julia & Tessa discuss:

Transcript:

Tessa: A very warm welcome to today's episode with Julia and Tessa. We are going to look at some of the highlights from Series 3. How are we already at the end of Series 3. I can't believe it. It's been such an amazing journey, with some incredible people doing circle facilitation in very different environments. So if you haven't listened to Series 3 yet, this is a really good starting point to think where you might start. What really piques your interest. So, Julia, what's been some of the highlights for you?

Julia Davis: I have really enjoyed all the conversations I've had this season, but there are different things that come up for different reasons and when I listened to Ariel speak I was really touched by the attention he paid to the needs of each individual person coming into circle, because he was bringing people into circle who had very different ideas, perspectives, political opinions, religious orientations. And I think if you listen to that episode and you really dive into what he put in place in order to improve the comfort of those people down to the actual locations that he chose for those situations to come about. I think it was really powerful. The circles that he created were really amazing. And the attention to detail to the needs of the participants really came across to me as something very, very special. What was a standout moment for you as far as your interviews go, Tessa.

Tessa: Yeah, I think for me, talking to Kate Clinchy was very interesting. And 1st of all it's interesting comparing those 2 episodes around creativity, because they had quite a different way of of looking at that in circle but again working with difficult things, like a lot of the students that that came to her. Poetry circles had come from, you know. Maybe war torn areas. Maybe they'd lost family members and using the poetry was a way of processing some of the emotion that's there and addressing really big topics, but in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming, and that is doable within a school environment. I was just fascinated to hear some of the sort of nitty gritty of how she actually does that. And she made it sound very doable.

Julia Davis: And that takes me to Davis's episode because he really works in a very special way with boys who could potentially be excluded from society, and there are real dangers that the young men that he works with are facing in their real lives and creating a space for those boys to be seen and heard. Really, it really touched me what he does, and especially with regard to the idea of the village. So I was just talking to someone today about parenting circles, and that she's got lots of options. As far as parenting goes. She can go to a women's circle. She can go to a mum and baby group. But she said, I really want something for my husband. I really want my husband to have a space where he can be seen and heard, and Davis cares so deeply about the parents and about the people who aren't just the young men that he wants to give a space to, but all those people around that young person, and by creating that he's also creating avenues for all those people who are the support network for those young people to have touch points for themselves as well. It was really special. The episode with Davis.

Tessa: What impressed me about that was that there was so much support for the parents as well, saying, You know it's not enough just to work with the child. If, then they go home and all your works undone, but also the fact that the people helping were volunteers, they would just thought this was so important they were offering their time for free. So there are all sorts of different models that you can use around circles.

Another episode I really enjoyed was with Alex Holmes thinking about in schools. And again, maybe it's with young people who are feeling maybe, that there's conflict. Remember, he talks at a point where somebody had had a run in with a teacher, and there was a lot of emotion going on, and he had the time to sit and just hang out with that kid and find some common grounds that then that that you could blossom, and share what it was they want to do in their life. And I just love the idea of taking circles into environments where you might not normally think about them being there.

Julia Davis: Yeah, I think that's the mental health threat is definitely there. And when people talk about mental health they don't necessarily go to circle first. But the idea of having a community around you having more than just one friend or a couple of people or family members to support you is really important. I think that was a thread that went through from Alex through to Rob as well. And what I love about Rob's chat is that he really thought about spaces that were unused spaces. It's like, where can we hold our circle? And one of the things he said is like, look around. You find out when buildings aren't being used. Let people know that the purpose of your circle is kind of support and community, and what you might find is those people who've got those spaces that aren't being used may even let you use them without you having to pay a fee for them. And in his experience. It was office buildings. It was buildings that often they would leave, and the lights would be left on, and there'd be spaces that could be used without anyone needing to do anything, and what he did is, he found a way to utilize those spaces, and he also found a demographic that he really felt strongly and from personal experience, weren't having the kind of communications that he would like to have been having. And he found really specific ways to bring about those conversations with people who maybe wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable to talk. So his episode actually links in quite well with Benedict Beaumont's episode earlier on in the series where he looks at breathwork because both Rob and Ben use breathwork use conscious, connected breathing as part of the pathway for the men in their circles to connect with each other.

Tessa: Yeah, I think what I really enjoyed about Rob's was the fact that he had such a can do attitude and said, You know, just have a go gather some friends, you know, start. He gave some specific examples of the kind of questions you could ask in your 1st circle, and the fact that, like you say, he brought other people in. So he had collaborators. So you're bringing different skills you've got people to lean on and debrief with, and I thought that was fantastic.

The other person I really enjoyed talking to was Sophie Docker, who's just got such an incredible wealth of experience in mediation in nonviolent communication all sorts of skills. And you know, she takes those into sort of neighbourhood disputes, but also into companies where maybe there's a toxic working environment. So again, I think there's a bit of a theme through the series of where can we take circles where you might not think about them being because circle presentation skills are fantastic for the workplace. But I think if sometimes people think of women's circles, maybe I don't know. We did a series an episode in Series one about our circles. Woo. If people are thinking circles are woo, woo, or hippie, they're going to like. It's not right for my corporate workplace. But actually circle facilitation skills are amazing for giving everybody in the room a voice and maybe hearing from people who've got fantastic ideas. You don't get much of a chance otherwise.

Julia Davis: Absolutely and throughout Series 3, as we have with series 2 and Series one. We have mini episodes, which are Tessa and I, chewing the fat over various sticky bits that you might come across in your own circles. So opening and closing circles, the welcome various things that you might go. Oh, I just want to dip into an episode so that I can hone my skills. Have a listen to Series 3. We have absolutely loved putting it together, and also let us know if you run a circle, and we haven't talked about the type of circle that you run. We would really love to hear from you about the circles that you run.

We would also love to hear from you. If there are specific questions that we haven't answered yet, or that you haven't heard the answer to that. You'd really like to be addressed in season, 4 of the podcast and if there are people that you think. Wow! I would love to hear from X person. I know that they run beautiful circles, or I've been to their circles, and I believe that their voice needs to be lifted up. They're doing a very special thing with a really specific community. Then we'd love to hear about that, too.

Tessa: I hope you have some highlights, too. Do share them with us. And happy circling.

Get your free Start Your Circle Guide http://eepurl.com/iJH3pw

Our book Circle Holding: A Practical Guide to Facilitating Talking Circles is available here: BOOK

Or you can get 10% off the book through the publisher using code CIRCLEHPOD10 at checkout on this link only: https://uk.singingdragon.com/products/circle-holding

Find details of the next free mini training and Q&A here and all our upcoming trainings on the Training menu above.