Council Practice
A ceremonial form of structured dialogue rooted in indigenous traditions and developed for contemporary use by Jack Zimmerman and Virginia Coyle of the Ojai Foundation. Council creates a held space for authentic expression and deep listening through four intentions: speak from the heart, listen from the heart, be lean of expression, and be spontaneous. Used in schools, organisations, and leadership programmes for deep reflection and collective sense-making.
Come eseguirlo
- 1
Open the council with a brief ritual — lighting a candle, a moment of silence, or a grounding breath.
- 2
State the intention or question for the council.
- 3
Explain the four intentions: speak from the heart (your direct experience), listen from the heart (without preparing your response), be lean (say what's essential), be spontaneous (speak what's alive now).
- 4
Pass the talking piece. Each person speaks when holding it without interruption or discussion.
- 5
After one round, the talking piece is available for anyone with something to add.
- 6
Close the council with a brief ritual and acknowledgement of what was shared.
Suggerimenti
Council is not a problem-solving tool — it's a listening and presence tool.
Don't introduce it as an efficiency technique.
The facilitator must hold the space with genuine respect for silence and depth.
A weak opening ritual produces a weak council.',
Variazioni
Run a brief council (one round, 2 minutes per person) as a workshop closing. Use open council (talking piece available to anyone) for less structured groups. Combine with the Talking Stick in less ceremonial contexts.
Casi d'uso
Pianifica il tuo prossimo workshop con l'IA
Workshop Weaver ti aiuta a combinare metodi come Council Practice in un'agenda completa e temporizzata in pochi minuti.
Prova gratisMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices.