Circle Magic

The Power of Turning Toward One Another

by Kari Bergman | August 2025

I fell in love with our work while sitting in a circle.

In 2013, I attended a training called Coaching for Transformation. When I walked into the hotel conference room with wildly patterned carpet (you know the type), it was set up in a huge circle of chairs. No tables, no large screens with a PowerPoint running. Just chairs and people milling about. Eventually we all found our way to our wide open chair, full bodies on display, and instead of having everyone go around and share their name and the organization they worked for, to kick off the first morning of the three-day experience, the facilitators had us stand up and share—with complete strangers—our answer to this prompt: What is a dream you have?

That was it. I was hooked.

And while many of my fellow circle mates may have been dangerously close to running for the exit, I was vibrating with alignment and resonance. My top strength from the CliftonStrengths assessment is Relator, so I LOVE getting into deep conversation quickly. I also love to dream. Especially with others.

Over the course of those three days, I gained practical skills to begin my journey as a professional coach, experienced the power of the co-facilitation model, and fell in love with the kind of connection, authenticity, risk, and vulnerability that come from sitting in a circle and learning with strangers.

It wasn’t an AGC program—AGC didn’t exist yet—but from that moment and a series of fortunate events, I came to be in the facilitation seat, leading similarly transformative circles on the regular.

The Ancient Wisdom of Circle

You know this if you have been in the room with our team more than once, but as often as we can, we have participants sit in a circle. Just chairs, no tables. This practice holds many purposes. One is to signal upon walking into the room that this is not going to be any old, stuffy leadership training. And it is disorienting. There is safety in a table or laptop screen. You cannot easily hide in a circle.

The deeper purpose is that it allows for deeper connection and growth. Vulnerability and transparency are created in a circle by both its form and function. There is no head of a circle, no front or back. Each person sits with shared responsibility and opportunity to co-create the circle and, in doing so, be transformed by it.

Why Circle Works: The Magic Behind the Method

When I asked my team what they love about having groups sit in a circle for our programs, Abbey shared this insight:

“It allows people to be less guarded and closed off—often because the table and all their distraction devices are not there. It allows people to see and hear each other better. It helps people recognize that this will not be a one-directional lecture from those of us at the front—that they are an active part of the experience.”

Kat shared a memory that perfectly captures this magic:

“I remember sitting in circle with Jill’s team from CEISD when we did the I spy activity. Everyone went around naming what they saw in the image, and many named items that went unseen by their neighbors around the circle. When we put the image back up on the screen, the group organically turned to their neighbors and started asking to be shown what they saw, and it was a flurry of curiosity, wonder, and connection around the circle.”

That’s the magic right there—the organic turning toward each other, the curiosity, the recognition that we all see different things and have something to offer.

But here’s the thing that gets me most excited: in circle, teams have the opportunity to turn toward one another rather than away. When we sit in rows facing forward, we’re literally oriented away from each other. The circle changes everything. Suddenly we’re face-to-face, heart-to-heart, ready to do the real work of connection and growth.

Abbey also shared one of her favorite circle moments:

“We were with a group where, because we were delivering Strengths work in addition to leadership mindset, we had them in a circle in the morning and then put them back behind tables for the afternoon. After a while, a  participant asked if we could go back into the circle. And this was with the City of Kalamazoo—I did not see that one coming.”

Once you’ve experienced the magic, you can’t unknow it.

The Disruptive Power of Something Different

One other purpose of facilitating experiences where people sit in a circle is that it serves as a disruptive event. The idea draws from the world of storytelling where a disruptive event or inciting incident creates movement, action, or sparks a shift. When used early in a facilitation, it captures attention while also creating shaky, fertile ground for something new or different to happen. Even a mild disorientation can open a pathway to transformation.

“That’s exactly what happens when people walk into our rooms. The circle announces: This will not be like every other boring-ass training you’ve ever had.” – Greg Mutch

Bringing Circle Magic to Your Team: Practical Tips for Leaders

Ready to reimagine the way you lead meetings and access the magic of the circle model? Here are some practical ways to get started:

• Pay Attention to Participation: As a facilitator in a circle, you’ll naturally tune into the rhythm of voices. Who’s contributing? Whose voice haven’t we heard yet? Part of the circle magic is the gentle invitation for everyone to participate. Don’t be afraid to lovingly call on quieter voices: “Sarah, I’m curious about your perspective on this.”
• Use Turn and Learn: Before diving into group discussion, give team members a moment to collect their thoughts privately. Ask them to turn inward first—what’s their honest, uninfluenced first reaction to a topic? This prevents groupthink and honors individual wisdom before it gets shaped by others’ opinions.
• Try Pair and Share: Sometimes the large circle can feel too exposed. Break into pairs or triads for more intimate conversations, then bring insights back to the larger group. This creates multiple layers of connection and gives everyone a chance to process before sharing with the whole team.
• Invite Stretch: Look for the unique growth edge of every person in your circle. Where can each team member stretch, learn, and seek their own transformation? The circle creates space for individual growth within collective experience—that’s where the real magic happens.
• Create the Container: Start meetings by acknowledging the shift: “We’re sitting in a circle today because we want to turn toward each other, not away. We’re here to co-create this experience together.” Setting the intention matters.

Your Circle Invitation

Here’s your two-fold call to action:

For Leaders Ready to Transform Their Meetings: Start small. Try one circle meeting this week. Remove the tables, face each other, and notice what shifts. Pay attention to the quality of listening, the depth of sharing, the energy in the room. I’m willing to bet you’ll feel the difference immediately.

For Teams Ready for the Full Experience: We cannot wait to share space in a circle with you soon. If you want to experience this type of facilitation with AG Collaborative—where your team learns not just new skills but new ways of being together—let’s talk about what’s possible.

Because here’s what I know after over a decade of facilitating circles: transformation happens when we turn toward each other with intention, vulnerability, and shared purpose. The circle creates the container. You bring the courage.

The magic is in both.

Coffee or Cocktails on us! 

Coffee or Cocktails on us! We’d love to hear about your team’s unique needs and discuss how circle-based facilitation can elevate your team’s connection and performance.