11:10 AM: Empathy Circle (1 hour)
Facilitator: Ingrid Hirtz
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2025-10-04 - Empathy Circle

Transcript

https://otter.ai/u/AWKVh_YwR52yZCUSEKKQfsaa-04?view=summary

The Empathy Circle meeting focused on strategies for building the empathy movement. Ingrid Hirtz facilitated the discussion, emphasizing the importance of gradual empathy building and the need for trust within the movement. Participants shared their experiences, highlighting the effectiveness of structured empathy circles and the challenges of integrating empathy practices outside these environments. The conversation also touched on the importance of financing the movement, the role of impact investors, and the need for educational outreach to both participants and potential investors. The session concluded with reflections on the personal and collective impact of empathy work.

Action Items

• [ ] @Edwin Rutsch - Reach out to impact investors to discuss financing and resourcing the empathy movement.

• [ ] @Edwin Rutsch - Investigate how to make the empathy movement more visible and impactful in society.

• [ ] Explore ways to incorporate empathy circle techniques into work and daily life.

• [ ] Educate potential investors on the goals and effectiveness of the empathy movement.

Outline

Empathy Movement Facilitation and Initial Speaker

• Ingrid Hirtz initiates the meeting, setting a three-minute timer for speakers and herself as the first listener.

• Speaker 1 clarifies the topic and expresses gratitude for the summit, emphasizing the gradual nature of empathy.

• Ingrid Hirtz reflects on Speaker 1's points, highlighting the importance of gradual growth and safety in building empathy.

• Speaker 1 elaborates on the need for testing the waters and the commonality of empathy experiences.
  
  

Listener Selection and Speaker 2's Insights

• Ingrid Hirtz selects Jesse as the next listener and discusses the summit's role in bringing new people.

• Speaker 2 reflects on the summit's potential to bring more people and Ingrid's strategies for personal and social media invitations.

• Ingrid Hirtz shares her discomfort with blanket emails and her preference for personal connections.

• Speaker 2 summarizes Ingrid's approach and her personal challenges with mass invitations.
  
  

Empathy Circle Practices and Structured Environments

• Speaker 2 discusses their experience with empathy circles over a year, emphasizing the need for a structured environment.

• Ingrid Hirtz reflects on the importance of mutual connection and safety in empathy circles.

• Speaker 2 shares their disappointment with empathy practices outside the circle and the effectiveness of the structured environment.

• Ingrid Hirtz acknowledges the importance of structure in facilitating empathy and the challenges of replicating it outside the circle.
  
  

Promoting Empathy at Work and Personal Efforts

• Speaker 3 discusses the importance of reducing personal suffering and promoting empathy at work.

• Ingrid Hirtz reflects on the speaker's role in bringing empathy circles into various environments.

• Speaker 3 compares their efforts with empathy circles to their love for yoga, emphasizing the need for personal involvement.

• Ingrid Hirtz appreciates the speaker's dedication and the challenges of balancing personal and professional empathy practices.
  
  

Building Trust in the Empathy Movement

• Edwin Rutsch reflects on the need to build trust in the empathy movement, especially among conservatives.

• Speaker 1 discusses the importance of going to where the distrust exists, such as conferences, to build trust.

• Ingrid Hirtz and Edwin Rutsch emphasize the need for the movement to reach out to communities that don't trust empathy.

• Speaker 1 reflects on the importance of vulnerability in empathy work and the need for trust in the movement.
  
  

Challenges of Listening and Personal Reflections

• Ingrid Hirtz shares her own experience with listening and the challenges of reflective listening.

• Speaker 3 discusses their auditory processing disorder and the difficulty of taking notes during reflections.

• Ingrid Hirtz acknowledges the cognitive challenge of listening and the importance of understanding individual needs.

• Speaker 3 appreciates the reflection and the importance of being understood in the empathy circle.
  
  

Time Management and Empathy Practices

• Speaker 1 reflects on the importance of time management in empathy work and the need for flexibility.

• Edwin Rutsch and Speaker 2 discuss the importance of time limits in ensuring fairness and inclusivity.

• Speaker 2 emphasizes the need for mutuality and the challenges of empathy outside the circle.

• Edwin Rutsch highlights the importance of educating investors and the need for a structured approach in the empathy movement.
  
  

Financing the Empathy Movement

• Edwin Rutsch discusses the need for financing the empathy movement and the potential of impact investors.

• Speaker 2 shares their experience with business structures and the importance of aligning goals with investors.

• Edwin Rutsch emphasizes the need for educational processes to inform investors about the empathy movement.

• Speaker 2 reflects on the importance of understanding investor goals and incorporating them into the movement's objectives.
  
  

Impact of Empathy and Future Directions

• Speaker 3 discusses the challenges of measuring the impact of empathy and the need for visible evidence.

• Edwin Rutsch reflects on the difficulty of gaining traction and the importance of early intervention.

• Speaker 3 emphasizes the need for funding and the potential of Super PACs to provide momentum.

• Edwin Rutsch acknowledges the challenges of gaining visibility and the importance of continuous efforts.
  
  

Final Reflections and Closing Remarks

• Speaker 1 shares their appreciation for the organizers and their approach to vulnerability and indirect topics.

• Ingrid Hirtz reflects on the importance of gradual growth and the challenges of integrating empathy into everyday life.

• Speaker 1 emphasizes the need for patience and understanding in building trust and empathy.

• Ingrid Hirtz concludes the meeting, inviting participants to share their final feelings and reflections.