Ground Rules

For online or face-to-face dialogue about areas where we are seeking to create understanding, it is helpful to mutually agree to ground rules for civility:

  • Open-mindedness: listen to and respect all points of view
  • Acceptance: suspend judgment as best you can
  • Curiosity: seek to understand rather than persuade
  • Discovery: question old assumptions, look for new insights
  • Sincerity: speak for yourself about what has personal heart and meaning to you
  • Brevity: go for honesty and depth, but don't go on and on