Speaking Circles
Encyclopedia
Speaking Circles are small groups of 8-10 people who come together to feel at ease in public speaking
Public speaking
Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...

. Originally developed as a way to combat stage fright
Stage fright
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, whether actually or potentially . In the context of public speaking, this fear is termed glossophobia, one of the most common...

, independent practitioners now also report successful applications to treating stuttering
Stuttering
Stuttering , also known as stammering , is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds...

, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a developmental disorder. It is primarily characterized by "the co-existence of attentional problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone" and symptoms starting before seven years of age.ADHD is the most commonly studied and...

 and other social challenges.

History

Speaking Circles was developed in the late 1970s by former stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...

 Lee Glickstein, who codified the methods he found successful in addressing his own experience of stage fright. Subsequently, Glickstein registered the name Speaking Circles as a trademark and incorporated a business, Speaking Circles International, to deliver training using his methods through a network of licensed facilitators. The Speaking Circles website now lists over 50 facilitators who have paid for initial training and ongoing certification and who now operate their own practices across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

Relational presence

The core of Glickstein's method is a state of mind he calls Relational Presence, something he describes as "a state of receptivity to another without agenda or effort."

Traditional oratory
Oratory
Oratory is a type of public speaking.Oratory may also refer to:* Oratory , a power metal band* Oratory , a place of worship* a religious order such as** Oratory of Saint Philip Neri ** Oratory of Jesus...

 and rhetorical
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...

 approaches to public speaking highlight performance as a key to engaging and holding an audience. Metaphorically, speakers are seen as connecting with their audiences by 'reaching out' to them through compelling words, gestures and arguments.

In contrast, speakers applying Relational Presence techniques invite connection by establishing a sense of intimate safety. The speaker and each audience member understand that it's OK to simply be themselves and no performance is required.

Training methods

Licensed facilitators teach Relational Presence through an approach sharing elements in common with group psychotherapy
Group psychotherapy
Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group...

. It aims to gradually repair the damage left behind from any earlier public traumas in life.

Methods used

  • Circle meetings last no more than two and a half hours, usually including a tea break.
  • In a brief introduction, the facilitator reminds participants of the groundrules described below, then every person present stands up in front of the group for a 3-minute "check in" turn, though there is no requirement to speak at all..
  • Each group member takes it in turn to talk for five minutes "on stage", again with no requirement to speak, cued to finish in 30 seconds when the facilitator raises his or her finger.
  • Other group members forming the audience provide unconditional support and positive acceptance, both by remaining still and by paying full attention during the speaker's turn and by making only positive comments afterwards in feedback.
  • Listeners give positive brief appreciations of the essential qualities they experienced in the person. They refrain from mentioning the person's content; evaluating or comparing the turn with previous turns; or coaching, analysing or advising. Speakers do not comment on feedback beyond acknowledging it.
  • Between turns, group members do not talk amongst themselves or comment on other turns.
  • Group members respect the confidentiality of what is said, and do not repeat the contents of turns outside the Circle without specific permission.
  • Facilitators offer the option to videotape each person's turn, using a tape that each participant brings for that purpose and which they can take away to review their turn in private.
  • When everyone has had their turn up front, the facilitator ends the formal meeting with a few words and there is an opportunity for social interaction.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK