How we show up for each other.
These aren’t rules — they’re commitments.
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
— Stephen R. Covey
Two principles that make it work
Mutual purpose
You care about the other person’s concerns, goals, and values — not just your own. You enter each conversation genuinely interested in what matters to them.
Mutual respect
You care about the other person as a human being — their dignity, their feelings, their experience. Respect is the floor every conversation is built on.
How to hold the space
Sit facing each other and avoid sofas
Physical presence matters. Face-to-face seating signals that you’re here, attentive, and ready to connect.
State your goal for the conversation out loud
Naming what you want from this time together aligns the group and sets a shared intention from the start.
Begin taking turns and let things evolve
Structure creates safety. Taking turns means every voice gets space — and the conversation can go somewhere real.
Sharing speaking time is a way to show respect
Being aware of how much space you take up — and leaving room for others — is one of the most generous things you can do.
End your conversation with a one or two word reflection
A simple closing word lands the experience and gives everyone a moment to acknowledge what just happened.
How 30 minutes might be shared.
This isn’t a timer — just a reminder that every voice deserves space.
“[A good faith conversation] affords us, among other things, the great privilege of being wrong; we feel supported in our unknowing, and, in the sincere spirit of inquiry, free to move around the sometimes treacherous waters of ideas.”
— Nick Cave
Show up with intention. Leave with connection.