Guiding Change Training
Part 2: Guiding Groups on a Journey of Change
Limited spots available!
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"In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too), those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed."
Charles Darwin
Building on the foundations of Guiding Change Part 1, this advanced hybrid (online + retreat center based) workshop shifts the focus from transformational leadership to facilitating collective transformation—whether in teams, communities, or organizations. Designed for those who are working with or leading groups united by a shared mission and facing transition, this program offers tools and strategies to guide groups through change in a way that fosters growth, adaptability, and collective success.
Participants will apply the core principles introduced in Guiding Change Part 1, adapting them to the complexities of group dynamics.
Through a combination of comprehensive online curriculum and immersive retreat experience, we will explore how to create a container for meaningful transformation within groups, using techniques such as group facilitation, cultural awareness, and collective decision-making processes. You will gain hands-on experience with Open Circle’s frameworks for group transformation and tools for fostering cohesion and collaboration in challenging times. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding the group’s psychological and emotional needs, facilitating feedback loops, and guiding the group through both personal and collective transitions.
You will engage in group-based activities, role-play scenarios, and real-life case studies, applying the principles learned to address common group challenges such as conflict resolution, maintaining focus on shared goals, and ensuring that all members feel valued and supported during periods of transition. The focus is not only on navigating through the inevitable discomforts of change but also on using these transitions as opportunities for growth and deeper alignment with the group’s mission.
By the end of this program you will be able to:
Understand the life cycle of groups and how they evolve over time.
identify key stages of development and transition in group.
Navigate cultural change within teams,communities and organizations,
Foster environments where cultural shifts can occur naturally and with intention.
Develop strategies to support individuals and groups through transitions, ensuring alignment with the group's shared mission and fostering adaptability.
Cultivate group cohesion, trust, and collaboration while guiding teams through times of uncertainty and change.
Build skills in facilitating feedback, navigating conflict, and ensuring that all voices within the group are heard and valued.
Utilize tools and methods needed to help groups grow stronger through change, fostering resilience, adaptability, and collective insight.
PROGRAM TIMELINE
Online Curriculum:
Available February 1st 2025
CONTENT OUTLINE
RETREAT:
Dates: October 14-19 2025
Arrive by 7PM, October 13th
Workshop ends: 11AM October 19th
Venue: Lost Sierra Retreat Center
4812 Portola-McLears Road. Portola, CA 96122
Accommodation, food and travel:
Shared or Private Lodging available: $80 - $150 per night
Camping available; $20 per night
Details provided on registration.
Tuition Cost: $1995
Online Course Curriculum Overview
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Welcome to the course!
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Chapter 1: Introduction to Guiding Change in Groups
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Chapter 2: Review principles of Guiding Change
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Chapter 3: Self Transforming Groups
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Chapter 5: The Life Cycle of Groups
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Chapter 4: Ecosystem view of group dynamics
At a glance...
- Comprehensive online curriculum incl. videos, podcasts, books and lessons
- 6 day practicum with Open Circle Founders in the wild mountains and rivers of Oregon
- Invaluable Tools and Skills for Immediate Application Within Your Work
What Do People Say About Working With Open Circle?
“As a leadership consultant and master coach with 30+ years of experience working all over the world and facilitating groups, teams, and circles, I had some trepidation about going into this training as a participant. Would the workshop challenge me? Would it hone my understanding of power relations in facilitation? Would I learn something about myself? Would I develop new and useful skills? Would it embody a truly experiential, dialogical, improvisational and exploratory ethos? Would I find the workshop leaders mature, stimulating and inspiring? The answer to each of these questions was a resounding 'YES!' Miriam and Adam held the space and danced between their different roles with clarity and grace. I found them to be honest, kind, insightful leaders who brought finesse and depth to each moment of the work. I look forward to continuing the journey together.”
Sara 'Zora' Boas, MCC, MA, RDMP, Founding Director, Boas Partners
“I would recommend Open Circle's training because one can learn a creative way of providing a space with care to enter a dialogue that connects participants/trainers in personal ways of finding human commonalities that form conscious ways of challenging beliefs.”
Carolynne Abdullah, Racial Equity and Inclusion Consultant
“Going into this trip, I was hoping for a life-changing experience, but I didn't know the depths of that change and what would be required to elicit it. The guides "lead without leading" and steered me up the mountain. In only 6 days, I came out with a renewed belief in myself and my capabilities. This trip definitely changed my life, and I am now putting in the work to ensure others receive value from the work that was done up there. ”
Antonio DeAscanis, Founder and CEO BlkOps Fitness
“The highly skilled team members at Open Circle have a range of listening and facilitation skills that span from formal to informal, inviting to challenging, easy to highly advanced. They are clearly on a mission to humanize the workplace.”
Don Lubach, UC Santa Barbara Dean of Students
“This in-person nature experience for leaders and facilitators led us to a collective environment where we were challenged to grow in ways I thought were not possible. It was an amazing experience. I describe their work as both mystical and practical, simultaneously and at once both beyond this world and functional preparation for navigating and being in it!”
Mark Funkhouser, Nevada Regional Behavioral Health Manager
“Change inside of organizations is difficult, but it’s also necessary. Our work with Open Circle helped our entire team shift the way we work to create a healthier culture where we could harness the power of the group. This allowed us to find new opportunities, expand, test ideas, and become a stronger organization.”
Brad Pickle
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Meet Your Guides
Adam Rumack
Open Circle Co-Founder and CEO
Adam brings a wealth of experience in driving organizational and individual transformation across diverse sectors, including corporations, large-scale non-profits, and the education and criminal justice systems.
His profound passion for the outdoors serves as a catalyst, offering insights into the interconnectedness of humanity and the wild, shaping his approach to human-driven systems.
In his pursuit of knowledge, Adam has delved into various disciplines, studying under spiritual and religious mentors and exploring the intricacies of economics, human behavior, and performance sciences.
A practitioner of holistic stewardship, Adam applies his insights on his land in Coastal Oregon, USA, where he also oversees a nature-based preschool.
His multifaceted background uniquely positions him to bridge the realms of organizational transformation, ecological mindfulness, and holistic education.
Miriam Jones
Open Circle Co-Founder and COO
Miriam is an experienced entrepreneur and thought leader in the area of transformational education, cultural change, and leadership. She has founded and led several successful organizations, from not-for-profits to corporations and co-operatives.
After developing an interest in business, culture and education, Miriam began designing and delivering leadership programs and cultural change efforts for organizations across the globe.
In search of new perspectives for her organizational work amid rapid global change, Miriam turned her focus to learning forms influenced by indigenous nature-based cultures and societies including circle listening and healing practices, circle governance, rite of passage, and nature-based rituals. Embracing these, she gained an ecological understanding of human systems.
Drawing inspiration from nature's systems, she now guides leaders and organizations beyond office walls, helping them discover answers within their organizational frameworks.
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