I’ve sat in a lot of meetings in my time. No doubt you have, too. I’ve even led some, with mixed results. Some meetings are energy-giving and yield desired progress, but all too many are painful, grindingly dull, or conflict-ridden. Why?
There are lots of reasons. One big one is how the meeting is structured – or not. Obviously, if it’s not structured at all, it can devolve quickly. You have a better chance of achieving the objectives of a meeting if the structure aligns with the purpose.
Some meetings are suited to a triangle, and others need a circle.
I’ve been learning about and experimenting with circles, and I’ve got to say, I’m sold. It’s the way to go when collaboration is the goal. Having experienced attempts at collaboration without group cohesion, I think practicing circle conversations can improve outcomes as well as increase everyone’s satisfaction and engagement.
Triangles are hierarchical, like a standard org chart. The leader sits at the head of the table, or sometimes even on a dais or at a podium with everyone else facing. For some meetings this makes sense, especially if it is heavily informational. Robert’s Rules might be followed. (Notice how that sentence is in passive voice? It’s appropriately so.) Or the decision-making might reside with a few at the top.
Circles, on the other hand, foster inclusion and equality. Everyone sits in a circle, including the person who is convening the meeting. Everyone’s perspectives are given equal space and value, and decisions are more likely to be by consensus.
The circle model comes from the millennia-old practices of council traditions of indigenous peoples around the world. The triangle mode comes from an empire power structure. In a time when majority culture is hopefully, finally, becoming aware of how critically important it is to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion, I believe it’s past time to learn processes that share power.
Perhaps you are already familiar with the circle format for meetings. I was not, until over the past couple of years I experienced elements of it in a few meetings I was part of. I liked what I saw and became curious to learn more. I did some reading, specifically The Circle Way: A Leader in Every Chair, by Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea. And I closely observed and learned from a restorative justice leader who habitually uses the circle model in meetings.
Then I called a circle myself. It was with a group that was experiencing increasing conflict and distance instead of partnership and generosity of spirit. I didn’t set out to use all the processes outlined by Baldwin and Linnea, but I believed using even some of them would help:
Physical arrangement: I placed all the chairs in a circle facing in. In the center on a low stool I placed an object that had meaning for the organization.
Agreements: A few days in advance of the meeting, I emailed some preparatory thought questions as well as some guidelines I proposed we should follow so it would be safe for all voices and perspectives to be shared. I invited discussion to modify them as they needed.
Check-in: We started by inviting each person to share in a sentence or two an answer to a question. This could be something as simple as “What is growing in your life this spring?” or it could be more closely related to the purpose of the meeting.
Then we started with the thought questions I had sent out, and as we took turns talking, one led into another – and restoration, new understandings, and re-alignment happened. We adjourned with a plan for future engagement.
Like I said, I’m sold.
Circles have the power to change the culture. Variations of the circle can work in business, in nonprofits, in families, in various community groups. Each of those is a microcosm of the larger whole. Small changes contribute to larger ones.
I plan to keep learning and growing. If I can help you do the same, let’s connect.
These are resources I recommend in your exploration of circle. Check them out to learn more:
The Circle Way: A Leader in Every Chair, by Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea
For a shorter version: Basic Guidelines for Calling a Circle