More Praise for Th e Circle Way

“In this beautifully writt en book, Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea share the simple elegance of their PeerSpirit circle process and how it can be used in organizational and community sett ings with powerful impact. We have learned a great deal from the way of the circle as a call to remember our collective capacities to design and host catalytic conversations around the questions that most matt er to our common future.”

— Juanita Brown and David Isaacs,cofounders, Th e World Café

“Th e Circle Way off ers over twenty years of experience by the authors, who share how sitt ing in a circle allows for optimum self-governance, facilitates quality conversations that make a diff erence both personally and professionally, and encourages leaders to become more eff ective within their organizations and communities. Relevant, accessible, practical, and invaluable for all generations.”

— Angeles Arrien, PhD, cultural anthropologist and author of Th e Second Half of Life

“Christina and Ann take us through the anatomy of the circle process with poetic clarity and simplicity, demystifying elements of the circle process while, at the same time, showing us the indescribable mystery of what can happen in circle. Th e Circle Way is one of those rare books that can truly be called a transmission.”

— Jack Zimmerman, coauthor of Th e Way of Council and Flesh and Spirit, and Elder, Ojai Foundation

“We learn circle best by doing it and lett ing the circle teach us, lett ing it reveal itself as we embrace it. Or we can learn circle by immersing ourselves into the deep and profound stories that Christina and Ann recount for us. Th ey lay the bones of circle and then weave colorful threads of countless stories that create the tapestry of our understanding.”

— Pamela Austin Th ompson, CEO, American Organization of Nurse Executives

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“Th e defi nitive work on circle process. Rich with stories and detailed instructions, this book will inspire hope and a vision of exciting possibilities in anyone who has ever wondered how to breathe life and love into unproductive or confl ict-laden meetings.”

— Roger Harrison, PhD, organizationdevelopment consultant

“Christina and Ann bring the magic and discipline of circle fully to life in Th e Circle Way. Th ey have opened the door for circle to enter our boardrooms, corporate meetings, community gatherings, and living rooms. I can hear them cheering us on, ‘Now it’s your turn.’ I’ll gladly take the wisdom of Th e Circle Way with me. It’s like walking with Ann and Christina by my side.”

— Teresa Posakony, Board Chair, Th e Berkana Institute, and practitioner, Art of Hosting

“Christina and Ann present us with the gift s that working the circular way off ers us at this time of great shift ing in our world. Th eir writing is a piece of art in itself from two masters who through diligent practice have stayed the constant apprentices of this fi ne art. I am grateful for its clarity and practicality.”

— Toke Paludan Møller, cofounder and CEO, InterChange; cofounder and practitioner in the Art of Hosting network; cofounder and designer of the Flow Game and the Warrior of the Heart dojo

“I often wonder how the world would be if we remembered one thing: to practice meeting together in circle whenever we gather. This book is our ‘MapQuest’ back to our authentic selves.”

— Phil Cass, PhD, CEO, Columbus Medical Association and CMA Foundation

“Somewhere along the way we humans forgot how to come together to have conversations that matt er. Masterfully writt en, Th e Circle Way provides practi-cal, nuanced insights on how to convene gatherings that foster clarity and inclu-siveness. If you are a leader who values true collaboration, this is a book to read.”

— Larry Dressler, author of Consensus Th rough Conversation and Standing in the Fire

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Th e Circle WayA Leader in Every Chair

Christina Baldwin & Ann Linnea

Foreword by Margaret J. Wheatley

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Copyright © 2010 by Christina Baldwin and Ann Linnea

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitt ed in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior writt en permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitt ed by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Att ention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

Berrett -Koehler Publishers, Inc.235 Montgomery Street, Suite 650San Francisco, CA 94104-2916Tel: (415) 288-0260 Fax: (415) 362-2512 www.bkconnection.com

Ordering InformationQuantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the “Special Sales Department” at the Berrett -Koehler address above.Individual sales. Berrett -Koehler publications are available through most bookstores. Th ey can also be ordered directly from Berrett -Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626; www.bkconnection.comOrders for college textbook/course adoption use. Please contact Berrett -Koehler: Tel: (800) 929-2929; Fax: (802) 864-7626.Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact Ingram Publisher Services, Tel: (800) 509-4887; Fax: (800) 838-1149; E-mail: customer.service@ingrampublisherservices.com; or visit www.ingrampublisherservices.com/Ordering for details about electronic ordering.

Berrett -Koehler and the BK logo are registered trademarks of Berrett -Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Printed in the United States of America

Berrett -Koehler books are printed on long-lasting acid-free paper. When it is available, we choose paper that has been manufactured by environmentally responsible processes. Th ese may include using trees grown in sustainable forests, incorporating recycled paper, minimizing chlorine in bleaching, or recycling the energy produced at the paper mill.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataBaldwin, Christina.

Th e circle way : a leader in every chair / Christina Baldwin & Ann Linnea ; foreword by Margaret J. Wheatley.

p. cm."A BK Business book."Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-1-60509-256-0 (soft cover : alk. paper)1. Ritual--Psychology. 2. Circle--Psychological aspects. 3. Communication in small groups. 4. Group decision-making--Psychological aspects. 5. Leadership--Psychological aspects. I. Linnea, Ann, 1949- II. Title.BL604.C5B35 2010302.3'4--dc22 2010000532

First Edition15 14 13 12 11 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Interior design and project management by Jonathan Peck, Dovetail Publishing Services..Cover design by Gopa&Ted2, Books and Design; Cover photograph by Margaret J. WheatleyBack cover author photograph by Debbie Dix:Interior author photograph by Bonnie Marsh

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To the dear people who leaned into the circleand who have been our peer spirits

along the path of remembering and application.Th ank you.

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If we change the chairs, we can change the world.

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v

C O N T E N T S

Foreword When Did We Forget Th is?Margaret J. Wheatley ix

Preface Th e Origin of the PeerSpirit Circle Process xiii

Part I Th e Circle Way 1

Chapter 1 Where Circle Comes From and Where It Can Take Us 3

Th e circle is an ancient lineage of collaboration that has informed society for thousands of years. Th e circle way integrates this lineage with a modern understanding of group dynamics and broad applications for organizational sett ings.

Chapter 2 Th e Components of Circle 15Every conversation has an infr astructure, an understood patt ern of participation. Th e conversational structure of PeerSpirit Circle Process is outlined here through a map known as the Components of Circle.

Part II Circles at Work in the World 35

Chapter 3 Th e Power of Preparation, Invitation, Intention, and Center 37

Circle meetings call the right people into the room, inform participants as to why they have gathered, and off er people ways to contribute. Placing a visual representation of shared purpose in the center creates a focus for the group.

Chapter 4 Rotating Positions of Leadership in the Circle 49A PeerSpirit circle is an all-leader group, in which positions of responsibility change and adapt as needed. Th e three most identifi able positions of host, guardian, and scribe stabilize the progress of a circle session while all participants hold the infr astructure.

Chapter 5 Accountability Th rough Agreements, Practices, and Principles 65

In any group process, there are skills for participating and norms for functioning. In circle, the skills are the practices and the agreements are the norms for operating. Th e principles provide the energetic movement in an all-leader system.

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vi Contents

Chapter 6: Circle, Step by Step 81Th e overall fl ow of a circle meeting is directed by the components of start-point, check-in, and check-out. Th ese three components set a social container for a clear beginning , a path of conversation, and a clear ending. Th ey are easy to explain and can stand alone or serve as a transition to the full use of circle process.

Part III Th e Art of Presence in Circle 93

Chapter 7 Story as Core Communication 95Story is a map of human experience. Circle provides the strong social container for catching stories and helping each other understand how the narratives of our lives can infl uence our professional and personal environments.

Chapter 8 Activating and Responding in a Social Container 107Circle is a social container in which people’s greatest clarity and deepest confusion show up. Nonverbal cues of communication are magnifi ed in a circle meeting. Every person brings an energetic presence to circle as well as a verbal contribution. Understanding energetics enables circle leaders to work holistically with the challenges of circle interaction and thereby strengthen group confi dence.

Chapter 9 Why Circle Takes Us to the Shadow 127Th e Jungian concept of the “shadow”—the unknown parts of the self—provides a way for people to understand the drive for increased wholeness that comes into the circle process and to trust the structure to hold them and language to speak about what’s happening in moments of distress.

Chapter 10 Circle as Support for Collective Healing 143Circle can transform familial, community, and societal issues by receiving stories in a community of listeners. Th ree stories in this section illustrate the intergenerational healing of a family, the healing provided by addressing issues of race and gender in a southern city, and the ability of traumatized citizens to shift their reactions to organized violence in the midst of social turmoil.

Part IV Circle as Paradigm Shift 161

Chapter 11 Organizational Experiments in Circle Governance 163

Th is chapter features three organizations that use circle for their governance: the national board of the Financial Planning Association; the True North Health Care Center in Falmouth, Maine; and the Ridge and Valley Charter School in New Jersey.

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Contents vii

Chapter 12 Circle as a Way of Life 183Circle is a meaning ful addition to quality relationships with family and fr iends. Anecdotal stories illustrate the power of circle to create healthy intimacy. Circle also prepares us to maintain societal calm and self-organization in times of transition, emergency, and social change.

Aft erword Circle in the Heart of Stone Christina Baldwin 197

Glossary 199Notes 203Bibliography and Resources 205Acknowledgments 208About the Authors 210Index 213

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Th e Stories and People in Th is BookSometimes people and situations are identifi ed by full name, position, and organization. In such cases, these individuals have granted us per-mission to use their experiences as teaching tales for circle practice.

Other people are identifi ed by fi rst name only or merely by gender or profession. In these cases, their identities have been disguised so that their story could be told without divulging details of the actual situation. We include these stories to illustrate important lessons we have learned and have altered the contexts to honor the promise of confi dentiality that governs many circle sett ings.

We give thanks for all these stories. We share them in great respect for the tender, diffi cult, and profound moments of circle that illuminate those of us who sit at the rim.

Story is the sweet nectar of language. Story is the crystallizing of thought, turning it into something digestible, sweet on the heart, even when the details are hard to bear. Story is the way we dribble sweetness over the oft en harsh realities of life’s everyday grind . . . rolling what happens on the tongue until we discover the nugget of meaning, humor, heartbreak, and insight.

Christina Baldwin, Storycatcher, pp. 10–11

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