Gathering Experiment: Closing Rituals

I’ve talked about the value of opening rituals (see more here) and today we’re digging into the power of the closing ritual. Similarly to how we never want to start a gathering with logistics, we also don’t want to end that way. An intentional closing ritual offers the opportunity for initial processing and synthesis of the gathering experience.

AN EXAMPLE FOR INSPIRATION

In the spirit of keeping things simple, my go-to is the two-word check out. Each person shares two words they’re feeling as we close (hint: share feelings wheel below to provide inspo/examples).

On zoom? Try a chat waterfall: give folks 30 seconds to type their two words, have someone count down 3-2-1, then everyone presses enter to share their words (and see everyone else’s). It's a sweet moment.

Here’s a chat waterfall from a recent Gather ‘Round:

YOUR TURN

What’s your favorite closing ritual?