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Group Etiquette for an Inclusive Space

User Profile: Heather225
Heather225 February 23rd
Hello everyone. Our community exists because of the care and connection you bring to these spaces every day, wherever you come from, whatever your story, your presence matters here!

To make sure our rooms remain a safe and welcoming place for everyone, we need to be mindful of how we interact. This is especially true for newer members, people in different time zones, or those who might feel hesitant to speak up. I am sharing some clear guidelines on community support etiquette and expect everyone to follow these practices to help keep our spaces open and truly inclusive:

🫵 You Are Never Interrupting: It can be intimidating to walk into a room where an active conversation is already happening. You might worry about interrupting. Please know that in our support spaces, sharing your thoughts or progress is never an interruption. It is the reason we are here. There is always room for you to jump in. Please note: When coming into a room, people are always welcome to join in. If there's a structured discussion, though (guided discussion, sharing circle, etc.) there's a topic, and there may be a process to take turns as well. Take a look at the top of the chat for a banner, and the host should be able to help guide you 

💬 The Pause and Welcome Practice: When you are deep in a conversation with another member, it is easy to lose track of the room. We ask that you periodically pause and look around. If someone new has dropped in or shared an update quietly in the background, stop to acknowledge them. Take a moment to explicitly welcome them and loop them into the conversation so nobody feels left out.

🤝 The 1-for-1 Support Rule: Support is a shared responsibility. When you drop into a room to share an update, ask for advice, or vent, take a moment to scroll up and reply to at least one other person's message. Even a simple word of encouragement ensures that everyone feels heard. Please give support just as you receive it.

💞 Share the Space: We value when members connect. However, to prevent a room from being monopolized by just one or two voices, please be mindful of leaving some quiet space in the room. Those moments of quiet are often exactly what someone else needs to feel comfortable typing out their first message. Make sure you are leaving room for others to speak.

🌎 Timezone Friendly Support: Our community is global, meaning members log on at all hours. If you see a message from someone who posted hours ago and did not get a response, go ahead and reply. Late support is still support, and it means a lot to wake up to a kind message.

Remember that we are stronger together. Thanks for looking out for one another!
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User Profile: AnnaSilverberg
AnnaSilverberg February 23rd
@Heather225

Thank you for creating this, H 💗
This is such an important message that we need to keep in mind! 
I have bookmarked this, this post is a fantastic resource! 
✨💙✨
✨
User Profile: crystaldawn76
crystaldawn76 February 23rd

@Heather225 

Thank you very much for this insight. I have been a member and a listener here for 7 years. I have always felt somewhat intimidated by the group chat rooms. It was never because of anything that anybody did, just my own insecurities. I appreciate you posting this and I can well imagine many other newbies will be happy to see this as well.🙃

User Profile: AffyAvo
AffyAvo February 23rd

You Are Never Interrupting

I think this needs a little mention as well:

- when coming into a room, people are always welcome to join in. If there's a structured discussion though (guided discussion, sharing circle, etc.) there's a topic, and there may be a process to take turns as well. Take a look at the top of the chat for a banner and the host should be able to help guide you 

1 reply
User Profile: Heather225
Heather225 OP February 23rd

@AffyAvo

Added!

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User Profile: Amanda84
Amanda84 February 23rd

@Heather225

Thanks for sharing 🩷🤗

User Profile: Remina
Remina February 23rd

@Heather225

This is a great reminder, H!

User Profile: amiablePeace77
amiablePeace77 February 23rd

@Heather225

Thank you for this helpful post Heather. It is so important that everybody feels welcome and safe in a discussion!

User Profile: RiseTogetherWorld
RiseTogetherWorld February 24th

jazakallah this wah helpful !!

User Profile: TovaCares76
TovaCares76 February 24th

@Heather225

Thank you so much for this reminder! Warmth and inclusion is so important in the rooms! :) 

User Profile: Sparklingdiamonds
Sparklingdiamonds February 25th

@heather225

Thank you for posting this, Heather. I especially appreciate the time you take to help keep our community a safe sharing space.

User Profile: ArtIsAwindowToYourSoul
ArtIsAwindowToYourSoul February 25th

I appreciate it. I'll do my best to put it into practice.

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