When we come together to openly share with others, there are some very important elements that are needed to enable us to allow ourselves to be vulnerable, open and brave. Share Circles are an important opportunity for us to feel into what is really happening in our lives, to step up to an inner calling, to unload our deepest fears or just to celebrate our wins and empowering decisions that have happened in our lived experience.
Protocols are an essential element to hold and enable true and open sharing. The protocols we use in the Women’s Wellbeing Association Share circles are:
Confidentiality
Active Listening
No Fixing
No Judgement
Speaking in ‘I’ statements
Confidentiality is crucial to maintain for all women in circle, so that there is confidence that we will hold with respect, the secrets and challenges of other women. It’s a practice that puts a holt to the unproductive activity of gossip. It enables the vulnerability to emerge and be shared.
Active Listening is a great practice to participate in and a practice that can ripple out into the rest of our lives. Active Listening is about being present. Present to the words, feelings and experience of another. It assists us in taming our own monkey minds and also contributes to the building blocks of Empathy in listening openly to the experience of another.
No Fixing is simply, no giving of unsolicited advice or support. Giving advice or ‘fixing’ someone, infers their experience is wrong or invalid. It doesn’t support the empowerment of a woman to navigate their own solution or to be brave and actually ask for help if they wish. Share Circle is a time for each woman to feel into what she needs in her situation.
No Judgment is pretty clear and simple. Allowing each of the women to have an experience without being judged by others, giving her space to be vulnerable and open to share what is deep inside. Many women, including myself, sensor what we say in fear of judgement, fear of rejection, fear of failure and fundamentally the fear of our own worthiness.
Speaking in ‘I’ statements is an empowering practice to own our experience. Our words have a physical and energetic affect on our cells and thoughts. By being responsible in the sharing of an experience rather than the generalisation of speaking about a collective, ‘you’ or ‘we’. It allows us to own our statements and views about things, while not presuming to speak for others. We do not all hold the same views and experiences, so this helps us to own and be accountable for our own experiences and sharing.
Being part of a share circle and listening to the experiences of others, contributes to our own wellbeing. It allows us to have the opportunity to be witness to our own internal judgements, thoughts and ways of being that perhaps do not serve us and also offers a space to build connection and a practice of being vulnerable, brave and strong and steadfast to walk tall in the world and soften in empathy to be supportive of others.
Building a community of empowered women, one circle at a time.
We look forward to seeing you in circle.