We invite you to join other local residents and community leaders who are committing to taking an active role to promote thoughtful, productive dialog by:
- Listening to and learning about other opinions that could be critical in reaching new solutions.
- Recognizing that people with diverse opinions have something to contribute to the conversation.
- Refusing to engage in name calling, derisive or disrespectful speech, vulgarity, sarcasm, attributions about the motives of others, insults, character assassination, and mockery.
- Addressing behaviors that target, disparage, intimidate and dehumanize others.
- Being productive and solution-oriented.
Contributing positively through:
A willingness to participate in serious, informed, frank exchanges of ideas and views;
Focusing on solutions and recognizing that good solutions are rarely simple, and require dealing with complexity and ambiguity;
Focusing on the issues rather than on the individual(s) espousing them;
Seeking out verified information;
Thoughtful listening to diverse opinions;
Avoidance of impulsive retaliation;
Efforts to diffuse anger, resentment and irrationality rather than stoking it;
Searching for points of common purpose;
A willingness to change your mind;
Assuming the need to compromise and being willing to do so;
Treating the ideas of others with respect; and
Avoiding violence (physical, emotional, and verbal).