The Role of the Circle Keeper

What does it mean to be a Circle Keeper? What do they do and why are they important? In Restorative Practices, both talking circles and circles to address harm are facilitated by a Circle Keeper who is responsible for guiding the group through a process that helps all feel comfortable participating and directs the conversation toward its intended purpose. This month’s blog post looks at the specific responsibilities of the Circle Keeper and why their role is crucial to holding a successful circle. 

 We will be offering a four-session Circle Keeper Training in October where we will focus on each of these key elements of Circle Keeping. This month’s blog looks at what it means to be a Circle Keeper and ways to create a space that is safer for participants. 

 Holding the Circle Structure

The Circle Keeper sets up the structure of the circle, which is a predictable format that enables everyone to know what to expect; this offers a level of comfort and preparedness for participants. The circle structure usually consists of an opening, a check-in, going over the guidelines, facilitating the circle rounds, a check-out, and a closing. The Circle Keeper walks participants through each step of the process. They also bring a physical talking piece to the group (or facilitate the talking order if it is online), which shows everyone whose turn it is to speak and what the order will be. Although initially many circle participants may be thinking about what they are going to say in advance of their turn rather than listening deeply to others, with time, the predictability and consistency of the circle structure allows for more engagement through deeper listening and more in-depth responses that arise from being present in the moment. 

 Creating Rounds

A crucial part of being the Circle Keeper is the detailed preparation necessary to design the “rounds”, or questions, that the group will use to focus the conversation. Rounds make up the core substance of the circle; ideally they are a progressive series of speaking prompts that enable participants to enter gently into the conversation and deepen into the subject as they go. The Circle Keeper prepares the rounds in advance and each one should offer an open-ended exploration of the topic, and match the interest, needs, and maturity level of the group. For example, the rounds created for a kindergarten community building circle would be different from the rounds created for a staff meeting to address organizational tensions; the Circle Keeper designs the rounds accordingly.

 Practicing Self Awareness

Being a skilled Circle Keeper requires an enhanced level of self awareness. Knowing and understanding your own biases, vulnerabilities, and what pushes your buttons is an important ability for Circle Keepers (as well as for all of us!). These tendencies, which are often unconscious, get in the way of being our best selves, which is what the circle is asking us to do. It takes courage to look at those aspects of our thoughts and actions that we usually keep hidden from others, and often from ourselves. Yet it is essential that we do this personal work in order to hold the circle in a way that will be most beneficial and equitable for all participants. This self exploration should be pursued in the same way that we ask folks to enter into a restorative chat: with curiosity rather than shame and blame.

 Another part of self awareness is to center yourself before a circle, releasing any of the current tensions in your own life so that you can enter into the circle feeling calm and spacious. Some people meditate before they keep a circle; others may go over the circle plan and “see” it in their mind. The Circle Keeper sets the tone for the circle participants so being focused, grounded and centered is important.

 Anticipating Problems

While all of the circle preparation is crucial, it certainly can’t assure that all will go smoothly. Sometimes a group is arriving to the circle with underlying tensions among them. The final role of the Keeper is to help the group address that tension in a constructive way, which involves a non-judgmental approach to looking at the situation and collaboratively finding ways to move forward. In this situation, the Circle Keeper may consider being transparent about the dilemma, offer a series of rounds that help the group process the tension and bring forth ideas for improving or resolving the situation. There is no single path through the challenging situations; however, circles provide a format for a constructive solution. 

As you can see, being the Circle Keeper is a significant responsibility as well as a hugely rewarding and essential role. The best way to get more skilled in it is to participate in more circles. The more circles you participate in and facilitate, the more you see what works and what doesn’t work, and the more you feel at home. It’s all about practice. If you have had experience with circles or restorative practices and want to learn more, we hope you will consider joining us for our upcoming Circle Keeper Training.