explore · Communication, Team Building, Reflection · 45–90 min · 6-30 people · low energy

Way of Council

The group sits in a circle, ideally outdoors, around a simple centre. A talking piece passes from hand to hand and only the person holding it speaks; everyone else listens. People respond to one guiding question by telling something from their own experience, not by arguing a position.

When to use Way of Council

Use when a team needs to hear each other properly before a decision, after a hard period, or at the start of a retreat where status and seniority usually decide who talks.

What it solves

In normal meetings the same few voices fill the space and nobody hears what the quieter people actually think.

How to run Way of Council, step by step

  1. Set up the circle with a simple centre (a cloth, stones, a candle) and choose a talking piece from the site (5 min).
  2. Explain the four intentions: listen from the heart, speak from the heart, be lean of expression, be spontaneous. Agree that what is said stays in the circle (5 min).
  3. Run a short warm-up round with an easy question so people get used to the talking piece (10 min).
  4. Offer the guiding question. Pass the piece around the circle in order; people may pass it on without speaking (30-50 min).
  5. If time allows, put the piece in the centre for a second, unordered round where anyone can pick it up (10 min).
  6. Close with a one-word or one-breath round and a clear moment that ends the council (5 min).

Materials needed

  • A talking piece (stone, stick, shell)
  • Seating in a circle: chairs, logs or mats
  • A simple centre piece
  • A prepared guiding question

Facilitator tips

  • Pick a question that invites a story: 'When did you last feel this team at its best?' works better than 'What should our strategy be?'.
  • Speak first yourself, briefly, to show the length and honesty you hope for.
  • Outdoors, choose a sheltered spot with seating for everyone, including people who cannot sit on the ground.

Common pitfalls

  • People treat it as a debate and start replying to the previous speaker instead of speaking from their own experience.
  • The circle is too big for the time, so the last people speak to an exhausted group.

Variations

  • Fishbowl council: a small inner circle speaks while an outer circle witnesses, then the outer circle gives a short round of what they heard.
  • Walking council: pairs walk with the question before the circle and then speak in council.

Running it online or hybrid

Works online with a fixed speaking order standing in for the talking piece; keep cameras on and ask people to stay off chat while someone speaks.

What it produces

A shared sense of where everyone stands on the question, often captured as a few lines the circle agrees to carry out of it.

Origin

Codified by Jack Zimmerman and Virginia (Gigi) Coyle in The Way of Council (1996), out of the Ojai Foundation's work, and drawing on many older circle traditions. Center for Council, now Beyond Us & Them, trains facilitators in it. — source

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