COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS/TOUCHSTONES

Community Agreements or Community Touchstones are collective agreements and principles to follow for productive dialogue. Coming to the Table has a collection of touchstones that have been adapted from multiple sources and practices. You can use these as they are, choose the ones that best work for your group, or simply use them as a guide for helping your community come up with their own agreements or touchstones.

From Coming to the Table:

Touchstones are an established set of mutually agreed-upon principles that guide how participants will treat, and be with, each other in “deep dialogue” using the Coming to the Table Approach. They aim to address participants’ needs and expectations to feel safe and/or brave enough to speak openly and honestly and help us all make more space for each other. There shouldn’t be too many, nor should they be too rigid, lest they feel like a straitjacket.