Please click here to download a copy of Awareness Wheel Work Paper.
I have been using the Awareness Wheel for decades personally and with my clients. It has proven to be a valuable tool for understanding an issue and for communicating the importance of that issue fully and with awareness to another person.
Place one issue at a time in the center of your awareness wheel. For example, “creating a healthy daily routine.” Give that issue a score of importance from 1-10 where 10 is extremely importance. Now give that issue a score of the emotional charge from 1-10 where 10 is highly charged. Lastly, rate your level of disturbance about this issue from 0-10 where 10 is very disturbed and 0 is neutral, no disturbance.
Then on your own sheet of paper begin to fill out each of the 5 areas within your wheel. Start with the area you are most aware of. It might be what you want, what you feel, and so on.
Move through the entire wheel until it is full. I suggest you do this in minutes to start with, to become proficient in filling out your awareness wheels. You can also take these wheels and fill them out for further understanding over days, weeks, months and even years. The idea is to create a deep understanding of your issues in a timely fashion, and not to procrastinate or to delay in understanding your issues. These wheels are for self-exploration and can be a useful relationship tool.
The table below may assist you to expand and fill out your wheel.
| I Sense (Sensory Data) | What have I seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched in relationship to the issue? What am I sensing now in my body as I fill out this wheel? |
| I Think (Thoughts) | What do I think is happening in relationship to the issue? What stories are going on in my head about this issue? What are my beliefs, judgements, philosophies about this issue? |
| I Feel (Emotions) | What are my emotions (feelings) about this issue? (love, joy, surprise, fear, sadness, anger, disgust, shame, pride) |
| I Want | What do I want? What are my intentions, desires, hopes? For myself, for others, for stakeholders, for the environment? |
| I Do (Actions) | What have I been doing in the past and what am I doing currently? What actions will I take now and in the future based upon my intentions? |
Follow these rules for healthy communication between two people.
Set aside 20 minutes. Speaker presents a full wheel in 10 minutes while Listener just listens during that time. Then for next 10 minutes at most, Listener only tells Speaker what Listener heard Speaker say. However, Speaker can respond to the accuracy, or not, of what the Listener understood about the Speaker’s issue. That’s it! These 20 minutes are meant as a time to communicate an issue and be heard accurately and fully. A resolution may or may not occur afterwards. Allow space and time outs if communication becomes highly charged for either party, perhaps get help.