Talking circles are very common structures for sharing or making communal decisions in many Indigenous communities. So, we have designed Story Circles with some of these practices in mind.

1. Gather with people during the weeks of the Harmony Way in person or on Zoom. Create your own circle of friends or join one of the InterVarsity hosted Story Circles.
2. Designate a Story Circle facilitator who will invite everyone in the room to introduce themselves, acknowledging in particular the elders in the circle.
3. Determine how much time the group will meet and divide that time up equally. For example, if you have 60 minutes and 10 people, suggest that everyone has 5-6 minutes to share. Decide the manner in which the facilitator will politely indicate that a speaker has passed the time limit and needs to wrap-up the story.
4. Listening is just as important as speaking, maybe more. Affirm who just shared briefly before the next person shares with a simple thank you.
5. If you are meeting in person, consider passing an object around the circle between each person sharing. This simple action makes space for the speaker holding the object to fully finish before passing it along. Sometimes the object is ceremonial. At times it is something very ordinary, like a feather or stone. Say what you want to say and pass the object to the person beside you. You can always pass from speaking, knowing you will have an opportunity later.
6. If it’s appropriate for your group, you may want to begin and/or end your time with a simple prayer, poem, or song.
7. The facilitator may begin the story circle with this prompt:
   “What did you hear or experience in the Harmony Way that connected to some part of your own story?”
   If additional more specific prompts are needed, the Facilitator can ask:
   1. Where did you go and what did you see on your walk? (Feel free to share pictures.)
   2. What have you been learning about a particular walk's theme that you want to remember?
   3. Is there a next step you feel led to take in light of that walk's theme?
8. After everyone has shared, invite those who may have passed another opportunity to share a story.
9. Reserve time after everyone has finished sharing to reflect on what has just transpired. Ask for observations and comments.
10. If appropriate at the end ask, “What invitation to action do you hear in the stories?”

1. A story is a narrative of events drawn from the teller’s personal experience. It is not a lecture, an argument, a debate, or an intellectualization, although these elements may be part of a story.
2. Be personal. Share a way that the stories, exercises, or scriptures in the Harmony Way Walks impact your own story. It’s okay for it to be raw and unprocessed, or for you to express questions or dissonance.
3. Confidentiality. Affirm that what is shared will not be shared outside of the circle unless the teller gives consent.
4. We are here to listen and bear witness to each other’s experience. We are not here to fix or advise one another.
5. Try not to distract yourself by thinking ahead about what story you will tell next. Rather, listen to the stories told, and, when it is your turn, tell a story brought to mind by the previous stories, or pass.
6. Affirm what is heard, perhaps by referencing another person’s story, but don’t try to debate, challenge, or disagree. There are other places for that, and toward the end of the story circle, when all have shared in an unhurried way, the group may want to have some response and with different perspectives or questions.
7. Silence is okay, even sacred. The pace of a story circle is slower than a group discussion or debate.