What is a Democratic Listening Circle?

Inspired by the Way of Council, a Listening Circle invites people to sit in a circle, speak one at a time, and listen - really listen - to each other. It’s governed by four principles:

• Speak from the heart
• Listen from the heart
• Say just enough
• Be spontaneous

We also made one essential agreement: confidentiality. Nothing leaves the circle unless explicitly agreed upon. This created a space where vulnerability, truth-telling, and mutual respect can transpire.

Key Insights

From Hartcliffe Residents:

• “There’s so much going on here - poverty, isolation, violence. It’s hard to even think about the future.”
• Hope is fragile - but essential. It needs to be nurtured through community, visibility, and follow-through.
• Transport isn’t just a convenience. It’s a lifeline, deeply tied to justice, autonomy, and safety.
• Trust is everything. People want more than to be ‘consulted’ - they want to be heard and see action.
• “Stop rushing consultations. Start having cups of tea!” From Early Adopter Organisations:
• There’s a deep weariness among those trying to lead the transition. Burnout is real and systemic.
• The Just Transition demands working within systems while also challenging them; a delicate and often painful balance.

Reflections on the Process

The circles didn’t follow a linear agenda - and that’s the point. Instead, participants named what mattered most to them. This is itself a form of justice, especially when aligned with the first principle of the Just Transition:

 “Centring the expertise of disadvantaged communities at every step.”

Several things became clear:

• Trust is built on relationships. In Hartcliffe, this relied on Tait’s deep local ties. Among organisations, the sense of peer support was key.
• Speaking from the heart requires safety. The circle structure made this possible, even for those used to policy-speak and formal roles.
• Listening is tiring and transformative. Holding two circles in one day was intense, but revealed how rare and needed this kind of space is. Importantly, this wasn’t therapy, but it was therapeutic. The process surfaced difficult emotions, including despair. Facilitators need to be prepared to hold this, and help participants navigate it without sinking.

“The success of the council is largely determined by the quality of listening in the circle. When it is “devout” (as the Quakers would say), the speaker feels empowered and is more likely to rise to the occasion.”

(The Way of Council - Zimmerman and Coyle 2009 - emphasis in original)

For Listening Circles to reach their radical potential, it matters who is in the room and how power is held and shared once they are. There is a profound opportunity for those in decision-making roles to not just observe, but fully participate in the circle process. When leaders sit alongside community members in a space governed by mutual respect and confidentiality, the usual hierarchies soften. This opens the door to genuine dialogue and shared transformation. A truly mixed circle - where positional power is set aside - can spark the kind of deep cultural change that policy alone cannot achieve.