Calling the circle

Long before written records, people gathered around fires to settle matters that shaped their lives. Groups today are returning to that practice in a new form, using the circle for conversation, mutual support, teamwork, and social change. This revised edition of Christina Baldwin's book reaches readers from women's spirituality circles to corporate project teams.

Participants sit in a ring and pass a talking piece from one person to the next, taking turns to speak and to listen openly. Baldwin explains how to begin, how to set a group's goals, and how to work through disagreements with care and respect. Her book shows the method at work through several cases: a women's spirituality group, a father and son in a difficult period, a parent association that prevents a school strike, and a work team that finds new creativity and concern for one another.