2.3 Small Group Guidelines

We are not here to fix each other, judge each other, or compare with each other but rather to listen to each other and reflect on what we have heard through are own experiences.
Make sure everyone gets to talk and that no one talks too much or controls the conversation. Invite people to share, but force no one.
Make sure that men talk more about their personal experience and feelings rather than giving lectures. Sermons, opinions and ideas about abstract things OUT THERE.
When sharing it is best to talk from “I” statements: I have experienced, I am, I think, etc.
There is no need for “cross-talk” meaning; that is, you do not need to agree, disagree, judge or critique what another says.
“All that is said in a group is presumed to be CONFIDENTIAL. What is said in the group stays in the group.” Say this at the beginning of each meeting to ensure the group is a safe place for open and candid discussion.
Try to accept each man in the here and now, and let go of any tendency to put him in a box or pre-judge him. We all start from zero together.