This Communication Agreement was Adapted from Encounter’s Communication Agreement (www.encounterprograms.org) The purpose of this agreement is to enable us to speak with kavod (honor) and emet (truthfulness) in all our conversations.

1. Communication Agreement*
The purpose of this agreement is to enable us to speak with kavod (honor) and emet
(truthfulness) in all our conversations.
1. We will speak for ourselves, not as representatives of a group. We will not ask others to represent,
defend or explain an entire group. We will make ‘I’ statements rather than ‘we’ or ‘you’ statements.
2. We will avoid making broad generalizations and grand pronouncements. Instead, we will
connect what we know and believe to be our experiences and particular sources of information.
3. We will express our different viewpoints in a thoughtful manner and without an insulting spirit.
We will keep in mind our goals of learning and reflection. We may respectfully disagree with others,
but we will resist the urge to persuade them to “our side.”
4. We will listen with resilience, “hanging in” when we hear something that is hard to hear. We will
take personal time if we find that we are no longer able to listen with a clear mind and an open heart.
5. We will share airtime and refrain from interrupting others, except to indicate that we cannot hear a
speaker. We will participate within the time frames suggested by the facilitators.
6. We will offer the benefit of the doubt and avoid making negative attributions about the beliefs
and motives of other participants. Instead, we will test out our assumptions by asking questions that
represent our genuine curiosity.
7. All conversations are confidential. In conversations outside of the group we won’t attribute
particular statements to particular individuals by name or identifying information without permission.
* Adapted from Encounter’s Communication Agreement (www.encounterprograms.org)