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her granddaughter. In addition to the facial expressions of displeasure, one member of the group

shook the head, as if gesturing no or as in disbelief that the school administration would display

such a lack of support. Another member folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes, as

she tilted her head toward the ceiling.

Each of these reactions and expressions to the story represents a simmering of emotions

that was subsequently shared and discussed after the grandmother completed her story. Another

display of emotion and tension occurred in response to a White male participant who seemed to

scold the grandmother for letting her frustration show. His advice to “kill them (the school

administrators) with kindness” rather than display genuine feelings and emotions of concern

created tension between him and other members of the dialogue group who supported her attempts

to stop the abusive treatment of her granddaughter who is a student at the school. The environment

created and preserved within the dialogue group, by members and facilitators, supported the

tension and confrontation that developed between the storyteller and the dissenting respondent.

These incidents reflected changes in Metasphere noted by this researcher.

The dialogue circle became a starting point in the development of shared understanding

“born of a messy, nonlinear process” (Wheatley, 2007, p. 153) fueled by the desire of friends and

strangers from various segments of the same community to invest the time needed for the process

to unfold. Lastly, the circle formation created by physical and psychological safety for dialogue

group members. Although not unique to the practice of dialogue, the circle is used in civic and

deliberative dialogue because of its benefits as a catalyst for group process. The circular form of

gathering is often used in civic gathering processes. Circles aid in creating a peaceful environment

in which participants can be seen and heard by everyone around the circle (Isaacs, 1999; Wheatley,

2007). Dialogue respondents’ commented that sitting in in a circular formation promoted

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