Harness An Age-Old Practice For Catalyzing Change

Join us in this special listening circle training for organizational and community leaders.

Listening Circle Immersion Training
Dates: August 15–17, 2025
Location: Plumas-Eureka State Park, California (near Lake Tahoe)

Learn a unique tool for building cultures of safety and trust.

In this first program in the Open Circle Training series, you will learn the foundational practices and principles of guiding a Listening Circle.

What is Listening Circle?

A Listening Circle is a systematic approach to enhancing active listening and encouraging empathetic communication. It establishes a secure and safe space where individuals can freely share their thoughts, feelings, and lived experiences.

The Listening Circle is a practice that can be used in any setting–from corporate boardrooms to school classrooms, retreat settings, remote workplaces, scientific working groups to intentional living communities, prisons, and the halls of political power.

It is a powerful, non-clinical tool proven to:

  • Develop cognitive, somatic, and emotional empathy
  • Strengthen individual and group efficacy
  • Foster inclusivity and understanding
  • Promote individual and group self-regulation
  • Cultivate growth and learning mindsets
  • Sustain complex collaboration


By the end of this training, you will be able to:

  • Engage with a wide range of perspectives and feedback, fostering an inclusive approach that enriches collaboration.
  • Listen beyond limiting assumptions, allowing for a more open and nuanced understanding of diverse viewpoints.
  • Gain valuable insight into your colleagues and the dynamics of the work environment, enabling strategic and well-informed decision-making.
  • Value a growth mindset and commit to cultivating a culture that values continuous development and forward-thinking approaches.


Logistics:

  • Arrival: Friday, August 15th, between 3pm and 6pm.
  • Departure: Sunday, August 17th, 12pm.
  • Location: Plumas-Eureka State Park, California (near Lake Tahoe).
  • Included: Open Circle's exclusive course materials, online and in-person training, and camping (2 nights).
  • Investment: $495
  • Gear: Camping gear available for rent: $100.

* Other types of accommodation are available nearby for rent (self-organized).

This Training Is for Professionals Who Want To...

  • Integrate various perspectives and feedback to drive impactful change in the workplace and their communities.

  • Break free from conventional thinking patterns and listen beyond the confines of preconceived notions and limiting assumptions.

  • Empower their teams with the tools and insights to adapt, innovate, and thrive within an ever-evolving landscape.

Course Curriculum

    1. Welcome and Guide Map for your Journey

    2. Participant Agreement

    3. Preparation Exercise before In Person workshop

    1. Video: Welcome to the course

    2. Types of Listening Diagram

    3. Notes: Worldwide Cultural Circle Practices and References

    1. Video Lesson: The Five Elements and Four Intentions

    2. Slides to Accompany Video

    3. Quiz on the Listening Circle

    1. Video Lesson: Collective Wisdom and The Principles of Facilitative Leadership

    2. Reflection Exercise

    1. Video Lesson: The Form of The Listening Circle

    2. Notes: Guiding Principles for The Listening Circle Practice

    3. Facilitator Resource: An Invitation to Brave Space

    4. Video Lesson: Opening and Closing the Circle

    5. Quiz on the Guiding Principles

    1. Video Lesson: Prompt Forming

    2. Slides to Accompany Video on Prompt Forming

    3. Notes on Prompt Forming

    4. Exercise for Prompt Forming

About this course

  • 16 Hours of Guided In-Person Training and 1:1 Coaching
  • 4 Exciting Online Modules for Pre & Post Training
  • Invaluable Tools and Skills for Immediate Application Within Your Organization

Secure Your Spot in the Listening Circle Training!

Enroll Now

What Do People Say About The Listening Circle Training?

“As a leadership consultant and master coach with over 30 years of experience, working all over the world and facilitating groups, teams, and circles, I had some trepidation about going into this unknown 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!'”

Sara 'Zora' Boas, MCC, MA, RDMP, Founding Director, Boas Partners

“I would recommend Open Circle Foundations 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

“Excellent pioneering work. The Listening Circle Practice has transformed how I work as a leader and facilitator. Rather than standing in front and leading, this Practice has allowed me to sit with people in Circle, and walk with others as we share our stories and discover together the possibilities beyond what we could imagine on our own.”

Brett Robin Wood, Founder, Creative Wisdom

“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 Ombudsman

Meet Your Instructors

Miriam Jones

Open Circle Co-Founder

I am a facilitator and guide of transitions. I am a mother, an entrepreneur, a woman growing and expanding into myself in the world. I am committed to contributing my gifts and whatever wisdom I have gained from my experiences to supporting people, organizations and communities moving and growing through change in themselves and in the world. I am offering these retreats and trainings to serve people strengthening their inner compass and heart to be courageous in how they use their gifts and voice in the world. You can find my professional background here and more on Open Circle website here: https://www.weareopencircle.com/about/our-team

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.

Included in Your Registration Fee

  • 8 hours of online training prior to in-person training, complete with videos, exercises, checklists, and resources

  • 16 hours of guided in-person training and 1:1 coaching

  • Group Camping in the beauty of the Lake Tahoe area

  • Online resources and continued support and practice through Circle Labs

Pricing options

Discounts are available for groups of 5 or more.

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