On Arrival Writing Question: What concerns might you have in facilitating an empathy circle with family, friends or others?
Edwin:
A lot of people don’t like the ‘rules’ of the empathy circle. They say I just want to talk normal. I don’t want structure. So I have this feeling I am pushing something on them. So have concern about the tension this creates. I also have a fear of rejection.. This is something I’d like to do. I make a request, and fear I will be rejected.
Edwin
Good to get these insight. Helpful
Why do we want to try this?
(E. A positive story.
Talk about a peak experience in your life?
What is a anxiety or fear you are dealing with?)
Why is there discomfort with empathy circle?
What is the feeling I want in for doing empathic listening.
Varsha: not knowing how to prepare them about what's going to come and how to set the context and take them into the process and how to close.
Varsha
Do you know ways to start an empathy circle with my husband?
We had an argument 2 days ago. - how do I believe what he is saying is true.
Bill
I have a great amount of confidence in the empathy circle process, so once started, I feel quite confident. The area where I feel less confident is assessing the readiness or willingness of people to participate in the process during tense, fluid social situations. I haven’t done much in facilitating a conflict empathy circle, so that’s another area where I would want more experience before I’d be assured of my skills.
Bill
Ambivalent feelings
Does not feel authentic. (How might we make it authentic?)
Don’t feel comfortable with the selling of the idea. Does not feel good.
The pressure and the structure. Want it to be real.
Want it to be free flowing…
Has to feel right, and feel right for me.
Peter My main concern regarding running an empathy circle is to find people willing to participate. I need to connect first with people one on one and access their willingness, I trust that once the circle starts it will work well if guidance is provided and limits are set regarding equality of time and intent of the circle.
Cielja
I have not proposed it outside the groups/students that I taught, so it would be my first time to do that with people who do not know my work and I have no Idea how to start that…
Cielja
We are not mormon missionaries..
But how do we do it.
( do it online?)
Have to do it from a personal level?
People don’t know this is a thing.
Empathy tent is concrete.
How do you create a circle with even one person?