Empathy Cafes at Petaluma Conversations
Speaker:  Lou Zweier (15 min) 

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Transcript

https://otter.ai/u/tP5m43nwiPRBFpWMS6kfPIpsszQ?view=summary

Lou Zweier discussed the Petaluma Conversations, a community listening project aimed at bridging political and social divides through deep listening and empathy circles. The project, initiated seven years ago by John Crowley, has seen success in fostering mutual understanding among participants. Zweier emphasized the importance of mutual listening and understanding without the need for agreement. The project operates seasonally, with sessions held in a library, and includes both local and broader topics. Surveys from 2023 showed increased interest in understanding others and improved listening skills among participants, with a third using the model outside the project.

Action Items

• [ ] Invite more political diversity to the Petaluma Conversations group, as it currently has more liberal participants.

• [ ] Try using the Petaluma Conversations listening model outside of the sessions.
  
  

Outline

Community Listening Project Overview

• Cara Wilson introduces Lou Zweier, highlighting his role in empathy circle facilitation and his work with Edwin Rush since 2016.

• Lou Zweier discusses the community listening project, also known as Petaluma Conversations, aimed at bridging political and social divides through deep listening.

• Lou explains the use of the empathy circle practice, noting the need to attract people from both political spectrums to avoid the perception of empathy as "squishy."

• Lou mentions his partnership with John Crowley, a well-known community organizer, to address a local controversy through mutual listening.
  
  

Initial Success and Continuation of Petaluma Conversations

• Lou recounts the initial success of the Petaluma Conversations, where people who were mean to each other online found mutual understanding through the empathy circles.

• The project evolved into a seasonal series of four-week sessions, each with a different theme, held in a local library.

• Lou emphasizes the importance of mutual understanding as a step before problem-solving in conflict resolution.

• The principles of the project include being heard and understood, mutual understanding, and the distinction between understanding and agreement.
  
  

Principles and Practices of Empathy Circles

• Lou outlines the principles of the empathy circle process, including the emphasis on listening and mutuality.

• The structure of the empathy circle ensures that everyone gets a chance to be heard to their satisfaction.

• Lou describes the typical session flow, starting with a large group discussion, followed by breaking into smaller empathy circles.

• Topics for discussion are announced in advance, and participants can suggest their own topics or join a no-topic group.
  
  

Evaluation and Impact of Petaluma Conversations

• Lou explains the evaluation process, including simple evaluation forms and group sharing at the end of each session.

• Annual surveys reveal positive feedback, with participants feeling more connected to their community and more confident in their listening skills.

• Lou notes the challenge of achieving political diversity and the effort required to build trust with conservative groups.

• The survey results show that many participants use the Petaluma Conversations model in their daily lives, demonstrating its impact beyond the sessions.
  
  

Final Thoughts and Q&A

• Lou shares some of the topics discussed in 2023, highlighting the variety and relevance of the discussions.

• Cara Wilson thanks Lou for his work and emphasizes the importance of building resilience through understanding.

• Lou expresses gratitude for the invitation and the opportunity to share his experiences.