What challenges, difficulties or questions, have you had with facilitating an Empathy Circle?
Edwin
Questions
How might we go deeper in the Empathy Circles?
How might we listen more deeply?
How might we engage or motivate people to take part in Empathy Circles?
How might we make the empathy circle a positive experience for participants?
I’m curious what other people's experience has been with facilitation.?
My Experience:
As facilitator I need to track what is going on with everyone, the logistics of the empathy circle, etc. This keeps me from deeply settling into the speaking and listening because of tracking all this other stuff.
I tend to facilitate with a light touch.. That is not interject much.
Worry people may feel left out.
Tips:
Have a support group so that you can get empathy for yourself as facilitator
Jessica
Questions
How to juggle people’s different level of experience of reflecting back?
How/where to receive feedback to hone my facilitator’s skills?
Challenges
Having people to come to the circle (in person or online)
Explaining what is an EC + enrolling people
Feeling uncomfortable sometimes that the circle is recorded
Wanted to practice being prepared for personal attacks, disruptors etc…
Doing EC for big groups with inexperienced people
Tips
I love Edwin’s tip: support group for facilitators
Lewis
General answer - I’m very clear.. Very distracting to do technology and facilitation. Makes a big aspect to just be able to facilitate and be
Facilitation is the same part of the interpersonal relational part of the brain.
Good at the process and can take feedback and value it.
Ingrid
Challenges
Trying to stay in an “empathic presence” mode while facilitating. (Wish I had a word for that. Need to get out of default mode.)
In online empathy circles, my screen only shows 4 people at a time. If the EC has more than 4 people I have to swipe to another screen to see the other people.
Having it recorded and posted on the internet.
How to include more coaching and providing feedback within an empathy circle (if it is something that participants want).
Questions
How is the facilitator’s role different with an online empathy circle compared with an in person empathy circle?
How is “facilitating” in an empathy tent different from facilitating an empathy circle? Or is it? Assume you can have more one-on-one interactions. Not sure what happens in an empathy tent.