Circle Time

For those of you who do not know what circle time is I will explain straight away. This is an exercise where a group of people sit around in a circle and all answer the same question so that people can learn things about the people around them. The system is used in all different ways; at training programs, school, and in the workplace. However my experience of this technique of socialising was in school.

So this entry is about my views on the technique. So first off I have to say it works as an exercise to find out information about your peers because they answer things you wouldn't normally know, however this can be a negative thing because sometimes those things that we find out can be used against the person, especially in a school environment where bullying is ever present. Some people do not want to divulge certain information and in the school, in my experience, they are pressured into doing so.

Another negative of this is the questions. After you have asked the basic questions like where were you born or what are your parents occupations, you get stuck and end up asking question like, if you were a dinosaur what would you be. The questions become ridiculous and impossible to analyse the results. So what does it mean to me if Bob wants to be a T-Rex. The questions need to be relevant all the time otherwise the exercise becomes irrelevant. The questions also need to intriguing for the older people involved otherwise they become distant in the group because they see the exercise as childish and not for them. 

So my conclusions is that the exercise works if the questions are relevant and interesting and if the person being asked is comfortable with the question because then everyone is happy and people find out interesting and important things about others that they are around, not stupid things like what would you do if you had an extra arm.