Hamming Circles: Better Conversations over Brunch

[A Meetup RSVP alone does not confirm your spot. Please read the Tickets section at the bottom for how to confirm attendance.]

Most friendships begin with fairly ordinary conversations.

You meet someone, exchange a few things about work, where you are from, what you are interested in, perhaps what brought you there. Sometimes that is enough for something to click. Often, though, it takes quite a while before conversation reaches the things that actually tell you much about a person: what they care about, what they are struggling with, what they are trying to change, or what they are uncertain about.

This brunch is an experiment in creating a little more space for that.

What are Hamming Circles?

We will divide into small groups of around four and try a format known as Hamming Circles. Each person gets around 20 minutes to bring one problem, question, decision, or situation they are currently thinking about.

It can be something personal or practical: work, relationships, motivation, a project, a difficult decision, a habit, something you feel stuck on, or simply something you would like another perspective on.
The other people in the circle listen, ask questions, notice assumptions, and help you look at the situation from angles you may not have considered yourself.

Then the turn moves on.

The point is not that three strangers will solve your life in twenty minutes. A useful outcome might simply be understanding the problem a little better, noticing something you had overlooked, or leaving with one new direction to explore. Sometimes, even just formulating something out loud for a few empathetic ears can help.

Why this format?

The best thing about this format is that, while helping someone think through something real, you also tend to learn quite a lot about them.
There is something about taking turns being the person asking for help and the person offering it — being a little vulnerable in one moment, and steady for someone else in the next — that can create a different kind of closeness.

Perhaps that gives us a slightly better starting point for forming new friendships than the usual first few layers of conversation.
There is no expectation to bring something deeply personal or vulnerable. You decide what you are comfortable sharing.

A few things will matter: listening before rushing to give advice, asking questions with curiosity, respecting what another person chooses not to share, and keeping personal things shared within the circle private.

We will be around 25 people in total, divided mostly into groups of around four. After the circles, there will be time to continue conversations more informally over brunch.

Why a fee?

There is a CHF 5 ticket for the event. This helps keep the numbers reasonably reliable, which matters for the format, and also means the gathering leaves one small positive thing behind.

All of the ticket proceeds will be donated to Project Slingshot, an organisation using investigations, public campaigns, films and media to expose factory farming and build pressure for change.

I am not affiliated with Project Slingshot and do not receive anything from the ticket proceeds. I simply support their work and like that, besides whatever conversations or friendships may come from the afternoon, there is also something useful this particular group of people will have done together.

I will post proof of the donation after the event.

Tickets

A Meetup RSVP alone does not reserve a place. Your place is confirmed once the CHF 5 contribution has been received.

If you would prefer to pay by TWINT, just send me a DM and I will send you the details. If you are a student, on a tight budget, or the CHF 5 would genuinely make it difficult for you to come, please also feel free to message me and we can make an exception.

Coming alone is completely normal, and encouraged.

For easier coordination and post-event chats, join the WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LfUnL8Gl9qy17gCd8Mcelj