Four Saturdays. A small cohort. A skill that changes how every relationship feels — personal, professional, and civic. You'll leave knowing how to hold a space where people feel genuinely heard.
The Empathy Circle Facilitator Training is a four-session online program that teaches you to host the world's most accessible form of deep listening practice. No therapy background required. No spiritual framework to adopt.
You'll learn the three-role structure — speaker, active listener, and witness — and how to hold that container for any group, in any context. It's simple enough to teach in 10 minutes. Deep enough to transform how people relate.
By the final session, you'll have facilitated multiple circles, given and received structured feedback, and left with everything you need to start running your own.
We ask that you attend two Empathy Circles before applying. It takes 90 minutes. It answers every question better than words can. There are many Empathy Circles to choose from.
The training is comprehensive. You leave with practice, feedback, community, and tools — not just information.
You won't just watch — you'll participate in multiple circles each session, rotating through all three roles with structured debrief.
Complete written guide covering how to open, run, and close a circle — plus common challenges and how to navigate them.
Between sessions, you'll practice one-on-one with a training partner. Structured calls with clear guidance on what to work on.
Word-for-word opening scripts, role introductions, and closing sequences so you can start hosting immediately — even while nervous.
You join a network of over 20,000 people across 50+ countries building a global culture of empathy. Connections that last.
Everything here is yours to use, adapt, and redistribute. Run it in your workplace, school, congregation, or community — for free.
Each session builds on the last. By the end, you've moved from participant to facilitator — with real practice hours, not just theory.
Sessions run on Saturday mornings, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Pacific. All sessions are recorded and shared with the cohort.
"This is one of the most practical and immediately applicable skills I've ever learned. I use it every week — in my work, my family, my community."— Cohort Graduate
Completing the training is the beginning, not the end. Graduates join an ongoing community of practice with access to:
All cohorts run online via Zoom on Saturday mornings, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM Pacific. Apply early — cohorts are small by design.
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Don't see a cohort that works? Email Bill Filler — we periodically schedule additional sessions.
Already a graduate? The Train the Trainers pathway gives you everything you need to run the Facilitator Training yourself — in your organization, community, or region.
This is how the Empathy Circle practice spreads without centralizing. Every trainer who completes this pathway can spin up new cohorts independently, using the same open-source curriculum.
Continuous training since 2011 across 13+ cohorts with global participants.
Graduates facilitating circles on every continent, in workplaces, schools, and communities.
Open-source curriculum. Free to use, adapt, and redistribute. Gift economy by design.
Each trained facilitator typically reaches hundreds. The math scales beautifully.
Four Saturdays online. Small cohort. Free by donation. You'll leave knowing how to host a practice that genuinely changes how people listen to each other.
Training is free — by donation. Support the movement →
Questions before applying? Email Bill Filler — Training Lead. He'll respond within 48 hours.