Our Enneagram Ethos
Our Enneagram Ethos and Ground Rules
Conversation Cafe Agreements
Our Enneagram Ethos and Ground Rules
- We commit to mindful conversation, as best we can, knowing Enneagram work goes deep. It touches our core identity and vulnerability as well as our strengths.
- The decision about which Type we are is ours alone. We may take advice, but no one else can determine our Type for us.
- If I talk about your Type - or others' Type - I do so tentatively, in the spirit of humble inquiry.
- We are more than our Type and we acknowledge the fuller richness of each person's identity.
- The Enneagram is ancient wisdom yet an emerging field, so we tread gently and with respect.
- We talk about ideas, not individuals, and name our sources.
- We are welcoming and open-minded, appreciating there are many pathways, perspectives and opinions.
- Active use of Conversation Cafe Agreements and these Ground Rules guides and helps us in all this.
Conversation Cafe Agreements - Open-mindedness: listen to and respect all points of view
- Acceptance: suspend judgment as best you can
- Curiosity: seek to understand rather than persuade
- Discovery: question old assumptions, look for new insights
- Sincerity: speak for yourself about what has personal heart and meaning
- Brevity: go for honesty and depth but don’t go on and on
- Confidentiality with personal stuff, what's said in the room stays in the room...
Notes
These ground rules are based on:
IEA Values and Ethics accessed 21/05/14 and an Open Letter written after the May 2014 IEA conference in Portugal, by María José Munita, President, IEA Board of Directors.
Conversation café agreements - Conversation Cafe
‘Humble Inquiry’, by Edgar Schein (2013)
Enneagram Worldwide philosopohy and Teaching Materials