Meaningful Conversation Circle

FRIENDSHIP, CONNECTION, AND MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION
This is a small, mixed-gender conversation circle designed for people who value seeing the same faces regularly. The group works best for those who appreciate continuity and understand that familiarity and trust tend to grow through repeated contact over time.

Because each six-meeting circle is formed by invitation, you won’t see regular public events posted here on Meetup. Details about how circles are formed are below.

We meet for calm, reflective, human-scale conversation that goes beyond small talk – without turning discussions into debate, performance, or “emotional processing.” The emphasis is on depth without oversharing, curiosity without intellectual sparring, and connection without pressure.

The circle tends to work best for reflective, low-drama, conversationally considerate people. We seek to listen with respect, suspend judgment, understand rather than persuade, and honor different perspectives. Shared airtime, minimal interruption, and awareness of one’s impact on the group are core norms.

This group is likely a good fit if you:

• Enjoy quieter, small-group settings
• Prefer continuity and familiarity over drop-in socializing
• Appreciate conversations that are thoughtful, nuanced, and grounded.
• Value emotional intelligence, curiosity, and self-reflection
• Can track your own patterns in conversation (including how much you speak)
• Are open to friendships with both men and women

FORMAT, SCHEDULE, SIZE
Circles meet on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at 11:00 a.m. for 90 minutes. Each circle meets for three months (six meetings total).

Meetings take place in a quiet public venue in N/NE Portland.

Circles are intentionally small to keep them human-scale – 8 people total, with the expectation that 5–7 will typically attend each meeting.

COMMITMENT
You may attend one meeting to see if it’s a good fit for you. If so, we’ll ask you to commit to attending five additional meetings (six total), with the usual exceptions for illness and travel.

Regular attendance is central to what makes these circles work. Consistency allows conversations to deepen naturally rather than restarting each time.

At the end of each 6-meeting term, a new circle will begin, usually with a mix of returning and new members.

CONVERSATION STRUCTURE
Each circle begins with a simple topic or prompt to give the conversation direction, with room for the group to shape where it goes. Examples include:

• What it means (and takes) to live in a balanced, sustainable way
• How to recover our fractured attention
• Friendship in adulthood
• Balancing solitude and engagement
• The role of rest, rhythm, and routine in a good life
• What “meaningful work” really means
• The difference between aloneness and loneliness

SHARED FACILITATION
Facilitation rotates among regular members. This keeps the circle peer-oriented rather than leader-centric, supports balanced participation, and reinforces that this is a shared space rather than a hosted program. The aim is a self-regulating group culture grounded in mutual respect and responsibility.

FRIENDSHIP AND CONNECTION
This is not explicitly a “make friends” group. That said, meeting regularly with the same people creates the conditions where trust, ease, and friendship can emerge naturally over time. Some members may choose to connect outside the circle – for a walk, meal, or simple low-key activity – though there is no expectation to do so.

WHAT THIS GROUP IS NOT
This is not a therapy or support group, debate forum, networking event, or dating group. It is also not a space for venting, dominating conversation, or working through unresolved personal crises.

DUES
To help cover Meetup costs, participants are asked to contribute $20 per six-meeting term. You may attend your first meeting free before deciding whether to commit and pay for the term.

INTERESTED?

1. Join this Meetup group.
2. Complete the brief questionnaire (link provided after joining).
3. Wait for an invitation to a new six-meeting circle. Because circles are capped at 8 people, and we prioritize age/gender balance when forming new circles, you may need to wait several months or longer before an opening arises. If your responses align with the spirit and norms of the group, we’ll eventually reach out when a new circle is forming to see if you’re interested and available.