In our HSTEM Community, we all agree to the following:
- Confidentiality
- Listen without judgment: “try on”
- Engage with ideas, don’t challenge experiences
- Move forward / move back
- Hold each other accountable (lovingly)
- Speak from your own experiences & refrain from assumptions
- Assume good intentions. Call-in, not call-out
- Be okay with silence
Note that this is a living document. It should be updated and added to as the semester progresses.
Active Listening Skill Script
from Bulaong Ramiz-Hall
| Agree | Disagree | Appreciate |
| When you agree it is important to let people know and BUILD on their ideas (not just echo them) | When you disagree, it’s FIRST important to let your community member(s) know that you heard & understood their point. Next, clearly communicate what you disagree with & where it comes from (why). It’s not about convincing someone or embarrassing them – vocalizing disagreements allows room for all to learn & grow in our understanding of ourselves and other’s POV & experience | Whether you agree with what a community member says or not, it’s important to acknowledge their sharing of ideas and their presence in dialogue and appreciate them for being open. It takes courage and vulnerability to talk about our own experiences and ideas, so we want to appreciate folks for doing so and encourage them to continue |
| “I have a connection…” “That’s a good point…” “Another way to look at that is…” “Also…” “Can I add to that?” “That made me think about…” | “Can I challenge that idea?” “I’m struggling with…can you help me understand that in a better way” “I’ve had a different experience…” “Another thought is…“ “What I hear you saying is…AND it is also true that…” | “Thank you for sharing that with me…” “I’m going to keep thinking about that…” “Something I really like about what you said is…” “Maybe you can keep thinking about…” “I appreciate you (for)…” |