Empathy Circle Outline

Future Work Notes

Start-Opening Recording To Youtube

Intro to Session for the Camera:
This is Empathy Circle: #
     Date:  
    Attending:
 

Intentions and Agreements

Basic Intention
The intention of this circle is to build a culture of empathy movement. This means empathically transforming society and fostering empathy within; ourselves, the circle, family, friends, communities and in the world.

Specific Intention and Mission
Develop this empathy circle process and a user guide to teach people how to take part in and start circles.

• Does everyone agree to this intention?

• Or does anyone need to be heard about the intention? (if so the group listens and reflects until everyone agrees to the intention.)

Light the candle of our intention

Read an Empathy Quote: Listening Quotes.  i.e.

When someone really hears you without passing judgment on you, without trying to take responsibility for you, without trying to mold you, it feels damn good! Carl Rogers
 

How about reflecting this in the next circles?

1. Facilitator speaks the intention

2. (First person)

   1. (First person) reflects what they have heard.

   2. Facilitator "I feel heard" or 'OK" or ''yes"

   3. (First person) speaks about what's up for them about the intention

   4. Facilitator reflects what they have said

   5. (First person) acknowledges,
       "I've feel heard"

3. Facilitator moves on to (Person 2), 
   back to 'Step 2'

4. All participants are heard.

Reasoning about this reflection

This additional reflection is to hear how the intention is resonating with participants.  The intention is a central part and a unique part of the Empathy Circle.
 

Not all circles need to do this right away, but I would like to record how this intention affects people and what their thoughts are about it. Maybe it will help us refine it.

The discussion of what a culture of empathy means to everyone would be a good topic at some point.

An entry Ritual

How about Stating the problem first to set the narrative:
Society has rampant conflict, alienation, loneliness, stress,  suffering, and ???

Out Basic intention is.....

Our Specific intention for this circle is to..... work of

 Future Work

What is the motivation behind each persons intention?

Self-Empathy and Mirrored Empathy

Meditation to Connect with Ourselves

• Close your eyes and feel into your body?

• What are the sensations?

• Scan through your body

• Breath - what does your breathing feeling like?

• What are the sensations in the different parts of your body?

• Tune into a sensation that has energy for you - feel it, turn that sensation into a physical movement with your hands, or face, maybe a sound, something that you will be able to share with the circle. go ahead and do it.

• Stop and open your eyes

We transition from our day into the circle.

Everyone  mirrors, say when you feel you have been fully reflected to you your satisfaction. i.e, I have been fully felt?

could each add an audio sound.

.

Other opening rituals
Think about activities that raise the Oxytocin level, like hugs, rituals, etc

Mirrored Empathy: Share Emotional Movements and Sounds

1. Share your movement with the group

2. The group mirrors this until the mover feels fully mirrored.

3. Have you been fully mirrored? Yes,

4. Move on to the next person and repeat

Mirrored Empathy & Reflective Listening
 

First Question for Circle

What was your motion and what did it mean and how does it relate to fostering empathy?

 How can we together fulfill our intention of building a culture of empathy?

The Process:

• [Person 1] selects someone [person 2] to direct their comment to. They share to [person 2] about what comes up (is alive) for them on the topic.

• [Person 2] reflects what they hear.
  Once they have said all that they recall, they can say, 'do you feel heard?' or 'is there more?'

• [Person 1]

  • I don't feel exactly heard,

    • Continue sharing what is missing.

    • [Person 2] reflects what they hear

  • I feel heard,

    • Continue sharing

  • I feel fully heard - [Person 1] continues sharing what's up for them with [Person 2] until they feel fully heard. When there is no more that they have to share, they can say, 'I feel fully heard'

    • End and [person 2] starts sharing.

• [Person 2] shares to someone in the circle about what is coming up for them.

• The reflection continues around the circle
  etc.

• Everyone in the circle can speak until they feel fully heard

• End

Future Circles
Someone brings a topic to explore that is relevant to them about building a culture of empathy. It can be an action, exploration, insight, problem, celebration, etc.

Closing Reflective Listening
Did everyone to feel heard to the fullest extent that the want to be heard. Or does someone feel like there's something they need to say?

Speaker

As the speaker, it's your turn to speak about what's up for you. Speak until you have been heard as deeply as you want to be heard. Until you are fully heard.

Speaker is like a guide or teacher. Teaches the listener to hear and empathize with them.

Make it easy for the listener to reflect. May want to speak in shorter sentences so that the listener can have space to reflect.

Listener

Some listeners feel stressed at not being able to reflect back well. You don't have to worry since it's up to the speaker to guide you.

The Process

We are just starting the circles with Reflective Listening and will do this for several Circles until we settle into it.  We will then gradually add other steps into the process. We want to initially practice this skill.
 

The intention is for everyone to feel heard to the fullest extent that the want to be heard.
 

Any Questions?

Hammock Weaving Model

Idea: How about periodically moving the experience into a motion that is reflected by others?

The steps look rather complicated.

What brings the process to a close?   Is it time limitation?

Meditation to Connect with Ourselves 
Mirrored Empathy: Share Emotional Movements and Sounds

 Start with a  10 min quiet time for everyone to write
    1. What did you learn or experience about empathy
    2. What are your next steps to foster Empathy.

Rest of the time we review and discuss what each person wrote.

• What is the next weeks Topic?
• Who will be overall facilitator:  
• And subtopic facilitator?
  • Intro:
  • Intention: 
  • Quote Reader:
  • Meditation:
  • Topic:
  • Lead Post Circle Discussion:
• Final Closing??  How?