Session 1, 2, 3, 4 = 46 responses
What was most valuable about this Session for you?
Inspiration
Small group, inclusion of technique
Experience and learn to facilitate a circle, being open mind to the differentiations.
Community
Listen and hearing someone speak about what I can relate to.
It was excellent training. The practice breakout session was most valuable.
Practicing facilitator role
the empathy circle itself
Realizing how intertwined everyone's values were
The learning experience
The actual experience of facilitating
Seeing common values and common goals. Quickly creating invaluable connections.
Practice with challenges
Opportunity to practice, resolve practical timer issue; the spaciousness of the facilitator (trainer), rich & meaningful sharing
freedom- the ability to show up as myself. Authenticity
the lovely participants (lovely = open, kind, patient, considerate, honest)
Topics discussed in our small group. Also, the challenge of focused listening.
The connection with the group members in terms of the struggles each of was going through.
Being heard
Being on the receiving end of empathetic, active listening.
The people in the group and the challenges.
Helps bring home how destructive and disturbing "anti-empathy" (e.g., interruptions, distractions) can be, and reinforces that we really need to strengthen our "empathy/compassion/patience muscle" in order to be able deal with challenges effectively and to minimize their destructive impact on ourselves and others.
Being heard and listened too.
Learning from others and observing how other participants conduct the introductory piece of the Empathy Circle.
This was repeat for me. What I valued was the participation and authentic sharing.
The topic
Learning something new
the practice
Loved the challenges practice! Great way to learn what to do if I ever encounter challenging situations in the empathy circles I facilitate.
being heard
naming the anxiety and practicing
Having the opportunity to begin my journey of becoming a facilitator.
Practicing being a facilitator and I received excellent feedback on how to improve.
Being present and heard
Facilitation feedback (not to interrupt the process) and suggestions/advice regarding the homework Empathy Circles (most joyous thing that happened this month - for family EC; what to say when someone says it's boring parroting and what's the point of it?)/
being able to give instructions on how to facilitate the empathy circle. building comfortness
Dealing with distractions during the process.
breakouts with time for follow up conversation
Having the opportunity to work with and receive direct feedback from Lou and Edwin in our small group. Additionally, I enjoyed learning more about B.J. and the work she is doing outside our group.
Practice facilitating empathy circles
Practice being facilitator and feedback provided.
Learning the values others have and the experiences that formed the values helped me to self reflect.
Listening to others and realizing just how their truth is similar to my own. Which evoked more empathy and compassion.
The Community coming together learning how to work out challenges
Learning and practicing the process of conducting an empathy circle as a facilitator was extremely beneficial.
seeing the common concerns between participants. definitely a cure for the lonlies
What would you change about the Session to make it better for you?
Nothing
nothing
na
N/A
Nothing.
Variety
It was excellent.
I think if in the large group there was a short demonstration to remind everyone what the process looked like, that would have smoothed some bumps for my circle in the beginning, but otherwise the session was great
Everything was great
Be better prepared!
No suggestions
Will we have a session going over challenges and examples of ways to respond?
nothing, i lost reception but was able to come back into the room so i was thankful that was a possibility
Only thing I can think of was finding a way to focus better in the small group.
I would keep the option of check in on chat or unmute and speak.
Incorporate silent processing time.
I still believe that using I statements are important!
Encourage more connecting to others.
So far, it has been good. The more you practice, the better and more comfortable you will become.
I would like for the check in & check out to be very brief. The chat could be used for shring mostly.
Nothing, it was great!
someone mentioned dropping overview and instructions in the chat - maybe not in the first moment, but 10 minutes in to the next gathering
Having the opportunity to have everyone participate in the introductions. Additionally, I would like to see short introductions in the small groups.
It was perfect!
Give a 3-4 minute bio break.
nothing at this time. i think we had a great circle and great feedback provided from trainee and particpants
I feel that everything went well. I like the fact that we will have an opportunity to speak with different people each week in our small groups.
More general discussions about scenarios that we might encounter and how to handle.
I think as my first session it helped me to be more comfortable in listening and reflecting without feeling assessed and so at this stage there isn't anything that could make it better yet
Incorporate nothing it flowed the way it was supposed to; nothing just happens.
The ability to record your individual group
Overall, this session was excellent. I don't see where there is any change.
no comment
What questions do you have about the training and about facilitating Empathy Circles? (We will try to answer these at the beginning of the next Session in the Feedback Section)
None
What is the best free platform to facilitate empathy circle online?
Ideas for managing my own somatic response as a facilitator? How to ask fro smaller bites when listening? if having trouble tracking
Nothing at a moment
How to manage difficult participants and keep empathy alive; without judgment? What would it look like?
None.
I'm curious how you would go about "intervening" as a facilitator. So far, I've seen that people get into a rhythm and just start to "get" how to participate in the circle, but I'm interested in hearing in future sessions about how to handle challenges.
What are some creative ways to offer the practice to the community?
N/A
No questions.
None at this time
Are Empathy Circles being offered in other languages? How do you envision going global? Have EC been offered to judges, social workers, police?
how can i run a successful empathy circle? how can i practice empathy circle techniques with family and friends (or people in close relationship) who have no ideas about how to relate, share or communicate with empathy
How to adapt this for people w/ disabilities who don't have Internet access or have limited access - no image by call-in only;
No questions
It was suggested in the last (if I understood right) session for everyone to go off camera if one participant has issues showing up on camera. I partly liked the idea and partly didn't as it's always good to see the person you are listening to!
The buddy system (who reaches out to whom)?
Has there been situations where people were mandated to attend an empathy circle? If so, how do you keep them engaged?
My hope is that I have an opportunity to be matched with a diversity of people in my small groups and with the buddy matches.
Do the Empathy Circles that we facilitate for homework count as Empathy Circles fulfilling the requirement for participation in ECFT?
What is the maximum number of people to be in the ECL room?
What are some tips we should always bear in mind when there are disruptions during an Empathy circle cafe? (General tips/guidelines to share with participants)
1. When something moves me in the participant sharing, am I supposed to say that this resonates with me or say that it was beautiful?
2. How long can I allow for pauses?
3. What if a participant is unwilling to share when his/her turn comes?
4. What if someone prefers to be off camera ?
Managing and understanding the flow of facilitating
na
none
I read the challenges examples, but not all had information on how to respond. I was wondering if there is a video or other documents that suggest more ways to handle challenges.
Not sure I am ready
Thinking about how to broach the subject -- all family members are so far away. It may be awkward to frame it as homework, but that's what it is ;-)
Will there be any team building exercises during our training.
None at this time.
Should a participant forego coming if he/she is in a bad mood, not fully present, etc.
I've been leaving time at the end of the EC, about 10 min, for discussion, sharing. What do you recommend? Someone asked if they could ask another participant a question about the content the other person had shared (some personal/interpersonal difficulty) during the EC practice. Is that a good idea?
What happens when a speaker is sharing and they share thoughts of suicide ideations? What should we do as a facilitator and/or participant?
Suggestions on how we can best deal with burnout ?
I like the comment made- Let go of desire to ask questions, and give advice. Sort of answers my question about are we listening to understand or to make those speaking feel heard. subtle difference I guess
Will my empathy buddy change each week?
Can I conduct Empathy Circles and what should I keep in mind when implementing this as I train here?
What would it look like to have difficult topics, and yet keep the conversation safe, without judgments and assumptions. Police2Peace and Not in our town model could be considered as a model....
Are you able to record your individual group?
What are some dos and don'ts should trainers bear in mind when starting their own empathy circles to develop their skills at the initial stage?
is there a general or overall text relative to the training. a hard copy of something would be of a great help to me.
What is a Empathy Circle Facilitation Challenge you have experienced, have seen or imagine having? Describe it and any questions, concerns, comments, ideas, etc. about it? (we will try to address those in the Session.)
NA
N/A
1. Active listener did very short recap of what they have heard from active speaker causing the confusion if they understood what was being said or not.
2. Participant seemed unenthusiastic to be there.
Wanting to ask clarifying questions. Is it listening to understand or just listening to have the speaker feel heard?
Stop my own judgement.
Distracting non verbal eyeglasses on a silent listener. My tone needed improvement; it not what you say it's how you say it....
I feel like it is a challenge not providing commentary/feedback on what the speaker says as an active listener.
Nothing yet
If there is a pair of people in an empathy circle where one person is not understanding the other as easily for some reason or other, it can be a discouragement and a block to communicating. It could lessen the pressure if it is made clear that it doesn't have to go perfectly and that there are also lessons to be learned in identifying points of miscommunication.
If someone begins to offer advice, how do you redirect without disrupting the process?
Easy to listen to the facilitator give instructions... very challenging to do.
No challenges so far.
Someone not abiding by the rules -- asking questions, expressing criticism or judgment, disregarding active listener's requests to pause, etc. How does the facilitator deal with this sort of thing?
i always worry about how to handle conflict in an empathy circle. If someone is not being an active listener or silent listener. if they speak out of turn or just speak in disagreement to what they heard. how do we control or take back control of the environment and get back to empathy techniques within the circle.
or how to let someone know that they are not reflecting what someone said. instead they are putting their own interpretations and adding words from what they heard? How do/would you address this as a facilitator
My only challenge at this time is focused listening.
What if someone is emotionally disturbed by the sharing & wants to opt out midway? Or not able to reflect back as something was going on for him/her/they?
My thought about challenging situations is a little different. I believe that if I am balanced at at peace I can work with any challenge I am presented with. It’s my responsibility how I arrive at any event.
Participants' strong emotions arising during the Empathy Circle, such as sadness, fear, anxiety, confusion.
I had participants interject while conducting the Empathy Circle, and I found that while I was able to address the questions and challenges, I wasn't sure if it was something I should do at the time.
i am imagining a scenario where a participant may want to speak fully & not ne interrupted for reflection.
none
na
people when English not first language have trouble reflecting what's being said
People going off topic in a direction that is inappropriate for the empathy circle.
getting anxious and forgetting everything
It's going to take a while for this to become a muscle memory -- the challenge for me will be to not editorialize or be self-critical in the moment. Having a co-facilitator was mentioned and I think it's essential. Also, debriefing makes good sense.
I need to practice my introduction. I will be traveling due
I haven't experienced it but I worry about someone being disrespectful or derailing the process.
Sound issues
mainly someone not being in agreement with what someone is sharing. too busy looking to put their own interpretations or give advice as opposed to empathetic listening. judgement, lack of compassion from other participants
How do I deal with cross-communication during a Circle ?
How to take space to correct a listener's understanding
I think that it would be interesting to have four small debriefing group discussions before the final large group debriefing.
None to date
I think it giving instructions clearly so that others will experience the same benefits I’ve had.
A silent listen who spoke out of turn, display a sticker were the two challenges. I need to watch my tone. For me self analysis and feedback helps my growth.
Is there a way to give more feedback for growth.
Nona
Write a question you think we could add to this post-session survey?
N/A
None
na
No comment
Can't think of one.
How are you feeling?
I can't think of anything else.
can't think of any
What areas would you like to see Empathy Circles implemented?
self-care how will you take care of your self
How are you going to make Empathy Circles relevant to your purpose ?
how will you use/ put into practice what you learned today?
How can your focused listening best serve your life?
Did you enjoy the process?
Which empathy circle core value should we focus on next session?
Which participants were in your small groups? Who haven’t you been matched with so far?
Can't think of any
What is a safe conversation topic for you?
Did the challenges help to strengthen your skills in conducting an Empathy Circle?
How would you describe a world in which empathy thrives?
How do you feel after the session
can't think of one
None that I can think of.
I think this is ok
not at this time
What ideas do you have for making this a worldwide movement.
I can't think of anything else. Thank you!
Can't think of any.
n/a
How can you best use Empathy Circles in your purpose or personal life ?
nothing
Is there anything that you learned today that you will enhance your facilitation skills.
None.
How did it impact your views on empathy training?
Tell me about one thing that stuck out for you?
Did the training meet your expectations as a participant in empathy training?
do you feel comfortable teaching what you've learned