Melrose Dialogue
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Having Conversations That Bring Us Closer Together
COMMUNICATION AGREEMENT: “A consensus on what every person in our group needs from each other and commits to each other in order to feel safe, supported, open, productive and trusting… SO THAT we can do our best work and achieve our common vision.”
We will respect others
We will treat each other with appreciation
We will speak from a spirit of collaborative learning
We will listen to understand, not to correct, attack or win
We will be open to understanding the impact of our speaking
We will come ready to speak thoughtfully and to take in the other
We will seek to understand one another, especially when differences surface
We will honor time limits - in sessions and breaks
We will check assumptions by asking questions from curiosity vs judgment / skepticism
We will “share airtime”, make sure that everyone has a chance to say something
We will turn cell phones and pagers off / vibrate. No social media during meetings
We will not interrupt; allowing others to finish their speaking before we speak
We will speak one at a time. No side conversations (including virtual chat)
We will refrain from personal attacks, judgmental statements, and assumptions
We will refrain from contradicting or demeaning the feelings and experiences of others
We will maintain confidentiality - refraining from sharing any identifiable information with others not part of the meeting / event
We will “pass,” or “pass for now,” if unwilling / not ready to speak, and support others’ right to “pass”
We will speak for ourselves (speaking as “I”, not “we” or “they”) neither waiting for someone else to speak for us nor speaking on behalf of anyone else
Is there anything that anyone wants to modify? Add? Delete? Simplify?
Are these acceptable to everyone? (please indicate by show of hands)
How will we help each other abide by these agreements?
(Completed: June 16/17, 2023)
Planning team to identify broad cross section of community members who agree to be trained in Reflective Structured Dialogue.
Meeting: Monday, 12/11/2023 @ Doug's House
What are we doing?
How are we doing it?
Who is participating?
What tools are we using?
Target: February 2024
Event to involve "Key Community Stakeholders" (see spreadsheet)
Part 1:
Presentation explaining what "Reflective Structured Dialogue" is and is NOT.
Area communities share their experience with the model
EP Consultants present to help with presentation.
Part 2:
Experiential introduction to the "Reflective Structured Dialogue" using pre-scripted questions, and guided by trained facilitators.
Target: Early 2024
Topic & Questions TBD