Compassion
Contract
Imagine living or working in an environment where everyone you interact with has agreed to the same set of values. As a result, you feel respected, understood and challenged (in a good way). Citizen Discourse views our Compassion Contract as a social contract — a set of shared values that inform a community’s norms for engagement.
By signing it, you join a global community of value-aligned citizens.
The term covenant refers to a commitment to the greater good. To that end, the Compassion Contract can be your community’s covenant and your commitment to yourself to be a compassionate communicator.
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The Tenets
Be respectful
Treating someone with respect does not mean you agree with them, it just means you recognize their right to their opinion and to be treated with dignity.
1
Listen to understand
Pay attention to verbal and nonverbal communication in an effort to comprehend where the other person is coming from. Eliminate distractions and prepare to listen with your ears and your heart.
2
Act with good intentions
Communication can get messy. When your intentions are good, you can work through conflict and preserve trust in your relationship.
3
Support ideas with evidence and experience
Be honest, cite your sources, and be truthful about information you give others.
4
Disagree without being disagreeable
Don’t be nasty. Even if you really disagree with someone, remember the golden rule. You can’t control what others say or do. You can control how you respond.
5
Critique the idea not the person
Communicate your disagreement with a concept without making the personal attacks.
6
Invite wonder
Get curious. Ask questions. Dig in.
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