In the face of sensitive topics like race that are bound to spark disagreement, the study circle format is designed to promote civility. Because personal opinions are sometimes irrational, accusatory and difficult to discuss, the guided conversation begins around personal experience, only later moving into broader issues open to debate. Circle members get to know one another and invest themselves in the group by sharing things that have actually happened to them in the context of the subject under discussion. This gets people to tell powerful stories, which in turn generates other stories. But study circles strive to be inclusive inviting into the discussion as equals those who have too often been on the outside.
People are more aware, more sensitive.
And best of all, the circles are still going on. Creating a safe environment of mutual respect in which people can speak their minds without fear of reprisal is largely the responsibility of the study circle leader. The leader's role is to pose questions and encourage everyone to participate, not to dampen the discussion by turning it into a forum for her own views. There is nothing complicated about these rules, yet they are essential to a study circle's success. A willingness to observe them not only fosters civility but creates a reflective atmosphere in which people can examine their own long-held assumptions.