Circle Discussion Questions

Exploring Values 

• What value would you like to offer for our space together? 
• What value do you think would help us have this conversation in a way that causes no further harm?
• When you are being human, at your best, what are you? (in a word or short phrase)
• Imagine you are in conflict with a person who is important in your life. What values do you want to guide your conduct as you try to work out that conflict?
• What is your passion?
• What do you keep returning to in your life?
• What touches your heart?
• What gives you hope?
• What demonstrates respect? 

Establishing Guidelines 

• What agreements would you like for our circle to feel so that you can speak honestly and respectfully? 

Getting Acquainted 

• What brought you to this job? 
• What do you do to release stress from the job? 
• Share a funny story from your work. 
• What do you appreciate about your work? 
• How would your best friend describe you? 
• What would you not want to change about your life? 
• If you had an unexpected free day, what would you like to do? 
• What is your cultural heritage and what role does it play in your life? 

Storytelling

• A time when you had to let go of control. 
• A time when you were outside your comfort zone. 
• An experience in your life when you “made lemonade out of lemons.” 
• An experience of transformation when, out of a crisis or difficulty, you discovered a gift in your life. 
• A time when you had to hear something very difficult from someone and afterward were grateful that it happened. 
• An experience of causing harm to someone and then dealing with it in a way you felt good about. 
• An experience of letting go of anger or resentment.
• A time when you acted on your core values even though others were not. 
• An experience where you discovered that someone was very different from the negative assumptions you first made about that person. 
• An experience of feeling that you did not fit in.
• A time in your life when you experienced justice.
• An embarrassing moment that you can laugh at now. 

Exploring Issues or Concerns

• How have you been affected by this situation? 
• How do you feel about this situation? 
• What’s been the hardest part of this situation for you? 
• How have you been affected mentally, physically and emotionally by this situation? 

Taking Responsibility 

• How have we each contributed to this situation, and how can each of us, by taking responsibility, act differently now? 
• What needs to happen now to create a healthy workplace? 
• Does anyone have anything to clear up with someone else in the circle? 
• What is unspoken in the group that blocks good relationships or possible success? 
• What do we need to do now to repair the harm that happened and to make sure it doesn’t happen again? 
• What change would you like to see in your work group? What can you do to promote that change? 
• In your experience, what supports healing? 

Clarifying Future Expectations

• What do you expect to do differently as a result of this circle? 
• What do you expect to be different (in your work unit or in this work relationship) after this circle? 
• How will you know if things are better? 
• What follow-up do you want to make sure that the understandings we have reached are working? 

Towards the End of a Circle

• Is there anything you came with that you would like to leave behind? 
• What are you taking from this circle that supports your healing? 
• Where do you see yourself moving forward? 
• What have you learned? 
• What can you take away that is useful to you? 
• How will these insights help you in the next two weeks?