ORIGINS
CLINT’S CIRCLE is a structured conversation protocol suggested by a former student, Clint. One day in a class I was co-teaching with David, Critical and Existential Perspectives on the Information Society, Clint suggested that we take the reflection questions David and I had prepared and answer them as follows:
STRUCTURE
Sit in a circle and go around in order
Each person picks one question to answer, or passes
Once you’re done, go around the circle again, this time responding to what you heard (if time permits)
FRAMING
There are three magic ingredients that are important to know as a creator and facilitator of a Clint’s Circle:
Stay (mostly) quiet. Facilitators are usually welcome to participate in the circle, but shouldn’t respond except when it’s their turn. It can be tempting to respond to something juicy or confusing, but your role is to thank the person and move onto the next.
Ask good questions. Aim for 3-4 questions and for each to hit the group differently so that you’re inviting multiple modes of participation. I usually aim for one “easy” question that doesn’t require much psychological safety to answer. An emotional question (something that reflects on how you feel or the past). A creative question (something that evokes the imagination or the future). And an intellectual or otherwise “challenging” question for those that want to engage those thinking muscles.
Frame as a listening practice. Name that in a circle conversation, it’s very easy to disengage from listening and rehearse what you’re going to say. It’s also easy to stop listening and relive what you said. Clint’s Circle should be treated like a breathing meditation. You focus on listening and when you notice that you’ve drifted, you simply come back to listening. If, when it’s your turn, you don’t know what to say because you’ve been listening so deeply, that’s a wonderful place to be. Just take a beat and speak from there.
