As a participant in collaboration, I promise to be vulnerable. This looks like expressing my concerns, feelings, thoughts, and questions through 'I Statements'. Research shows that communicating feelings in 'I Statements' encourages more positive development of relationships. I want to share my thoughts with whomever I'm collaborating with. So, it's important to me that I do that in a way that supports the relationship rather than hurts the relationship. 

GoodTherapy.

I will communicate with the participating party by using language that empowers them. I will validate feelings to ensure that this person feels safe to address any issues that may be troubling them. I will go further to always agree with their feelings. I am never in a position to tell someone what they do or don't feel, so I will make sure that the person sharing feelings with me feels validated by my hearing and agreeing with them. I will also ask clarifying questions to encourage the speaker to provide more details so that we can work with the maximum amount of information so that the next step in collaboration is smoother. 

As uncomfortable as it may be, every human being on this planet has biases that they are and are not aware of. Implicit biases are the attitudes or stereotypes that a person may unconsciously have that affects their perception, actions, and decision. As a practicing teacher, it is imperative that I search for my own implicit biases and address them quickly so that I may collaborate better with a wide range of people. I will prevent my implicit biases from affecting my interactions by thinking of multiple perspectives, making contact with a variety of people, and individuating. I would highly recommend to all people with whom I talk to practice some of those strategies to address their implicit biases before entering a situation where collaboration must occur. 

Think Cultural Health.

One of the most important things to remember when collaborating is that it is okay to ask for a break when tensions are high. I will always allow breaks, and may even ask for a break myself when it is necessary. This can easily be done by reading body language, voice, and speed. When the communications feels that it starts to intensify, it is best to pause quickly and take a break. This will help avoid any decision being made out of frustration or anger. When everyone has had time to blow off steam however they need, then a consensus that is truly reflective of the goals may be met. 

Reflection is a practice from my daily life that I will embed into my classroom and into collaboration opportunities. Reflection in my life and in my classroom looks like intentional journaling. But, in collaboration, reflection is described as putting yourself into someone else's shoes. During collaboration, I will take any feelings or concerns and consider them with great thought, as if it were myself with those feelings or concerns. By doing this, I will prevent myself from ever speaking out of lack of empathy. I would highly encourage all participants in collaboration to do this practice routinely.