Council Circle Protocol
Use equal-turn storytelling to surface perspectives and deepen trust
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
Council is a turn-based storytelling practice Spiegel brought from his school to Snap. A small group sits in a circle, often on the floor, so every seat is physically equal. Participants follow three rules: speak from the heart, listen from the heart, and be spontaneous. A prompt can be personal or organizational, and each person gets a turn without the session becoming a conventional debate. The protocol can deepen connection and reveal shared conviction. In Snap's first workplace council, the team explored whether to move from Los Angeles to the Bay Area; the discussion made its commitment to Los Angeles clear. Council informs understanding and alignment, but Spiegel does not present it as a requirement to run every company decision by consensus.
Origin
Spiegel learned council at Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences and introduced it at Snap's first Venice office.
Core principles
- 01Equal physical positioning can reduce visible hierarchy
- 02Turn-taking gives every participant protected space to speak
- 03Stories and feelings can reveal alignment that a debate obscures
How to run it
- 1
Set the circle
Bring roughly 10 to 12 people into an unobstructed circle with equal seating.
Pro tip Removing the table can make the setting feel less like a status-ordered meeting.
Watch out Do not claim hierarchy disappears merely because the chairs are equal.
- 2
State the rules
Ask participants to speak from the heart, listen from the heart, and respond spontaneously.
Watch out Spontaneity should not pressure anyone to disclose more than they choose.
- 3
Give one prompt
Offer a clear shared question or storytelling prompt relevant to the purpose of the gathering.
Pro tip Begin with a lighter prompt when the group has little trust.
- 4
Protect each turn
Move around the circle so every participant can speak and listen without cross-examination.
Watch out Do not let senior voices turn the round into a debate.
- 5
Read the pattern
Summarize where perspectives converge or differ, then decide separately what action or further analysis is needed.
Watch out Emotional alignment does not settle every operational decision.
In the wild
Snap's early team used council to share how each person felt about pressure to move the company to the Bay Area. Spiegel says the round made their belief in Los Angeles and its role in the company's identity obvious.
→ The team surfaced strong alignment without a conventional adversarial debate.
Common mistakes
Turning council into consensus rule
The practice surfaces perspectives; it does not remove a leader's responsibility to decide.
Allowing interruption
Cross-talk and debate undermine the equal-turn listening structure.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for building connection or exploring a consequential question where every person's perspective matters.
Not ideal for
It is not a substitute for accountable executive decisions, confidential investigations, or expert analysis.
From the transcript
“Speak from the heart, listen from the heart and be spontaneous.”
“Everyone's voice is important and everyone's voice is heard.”
From the episode
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