Circles in the Air
Circles in the Air is a short physical demonstration that what you observe depends on where you observe it from. Everyone traces a clockwise circle on the ceiling with a raised finger, lowers the still-circling hand below eye level and finds that it now appears to turn anti-clockwise, although the movement never changed. The exercise is published in The Systems Thinking Playbook by Linda Booth Sweeney and Dennis Meadows and circulates under several names, including Paradigm Shift (playmeo) and Changing Perspective (The Safe Zone Project).
Facilitation script
- 1
Give the instructions and lead the movement: point up, circle clockwise, lower slowly, look down.
1 min - 2
Repeat once so everyone sees the direction change.
1 min - 3
Ask what happened and let participants explain the effect in their own words.
2 min - 4
Connect it to the session: where are we looking at the same thing from different positions?
3 min - 5
Capture one or two examples from the group to return to later in the session.
2 min
Tips
Do not announce the point in advance; the small surprise is what makes people remember it.
Let two or three participants explain the effect before you add anything, and resist a long lecture after a one-minute exercise.
Watch for people who reverse their hand on the way down, and suggest they go more slowly on the second try.
Common pitfalls
Explaining the lesson before the exercise, which removes the surprise and leaves nothing to discuss
Participants unknowingly reversing the circle as they lower the hand, so they see no change and conclude the exercise does not work
Building a long, moralising debrief on a one-minute demonstration, which makes the group feel lectured
Using it to imply that all views are equally valid in a dispute where facts or harm are at stake, which costs the facilitator trust with the people affected
Running it with a group that already knows the trick and treating their lack of surprise as resistance
Variations
Remote: it works unchanged on a video call, since everyone only needs their own arm; ask people to type the direction they see into the chat before anyone speaks. Pairs: one person circles while a partner watches from the side and both describe the direction, which adds a third viewpoint. Short form: run the movement and a single question in two minutes as a transition between agenda items. Longer form: follow with a discussion of a current disagreement in which both sides may be describing the same thing from different positions.
Where it fits
When to use it
At the start of a session where two groups hold opposing views of the same situation and you want a neutral way to raise the idea of viewpoint
Before systems mapping or stakeholder analysis, to prime people to ask where an observation was made from
In a change workshop, when people argue about whether things are getting better or worse
When you need a one-minute reset that also carries content, and people cannot leave their seats
Online, when most energisers lose too much through the camera
When not to use it
The group needs real physical activation after hours of sitting; raising one arm is not enough, so use Shake Down or Jump In Jump Out
The disagreement in the room is about values or interests, not viewpoints; suggesting it is only a matter of perspective will feel dismissive, and a structured format such as Circle of Viewpoints treats it more seriously
Most participants have seen it before; the effect depends on surprise, so choose another opener
You need to analyse how people reach different conclusions from the same data; Ladder of Inference gives a working model, where this exercise only gives an image
Participants have shoulder or arm limitations and no alternative is offered; let them watch a neighbour's hand instead
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Circles in the Air?▾
Circles in the Air is a brief demonstration exercise. Participants draw a clockwise circle above their heads with a finger and keep the motion going while lowering the hand below eye level, where the same circle appears to run anti-clockwise. It is used to start a conversation about how viewpoint shapes what people see.
Why does the circle seem to change direction?▾
The hand keeps moving the same way, but the observer first looks at it from below and then from above. Seen from opposite sides, the same rotation looks clockwise from one and anti-clockwise from the other. Nothing changed except the position of the eyes relative to the movement.
Where does the exercise come from?▾
It appears in The Systems Thinking Playbook by Linda Booth Sweeney and Dennis Meadows, a collection of short exercises for teaching systems thinking. It is also passed around among trainers under other names, such as Paradigm Shift and Changing Perspective. Whether the authors of the playbook devised it or collected it is not something this page can confirm.
How long does Circles in the Air take?▾
The movement itself takes about a minute. With a second run and a short conversation about what it means for the group's topic, plan two to ten minutes depending on how much you want to draw out.
Can it be done in a virtual meeting?▾
Yes, and it is one of the few physical exercises that loses nothing online, because each person only observes their own hand. Asking people to type the direction they see into the chat before the discussion keeps early answers from giving the effect away.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from The Systems Thinking Playbook (Linda Booth Sweeney and Dennis Meadows).