Common Purpose Conventions
To help our participants to get the most from their experience with Common Purpose, we ask them to respect the following conventions during the programme.
These “rules of engagement” have evolved over many years and have proved their worth in helping us to deliver high quality, challenging programmes which provide value for the time they spend with us. They apply to everyone involved in a Common Purpose event.
Be open – and open-minded
Be prepared to hear views that you may not normally wish to hear - and be willing to learn something from them. You will certainly hear views expressed with which you deeply disagree; we take the view that leaders need to know what other people are thinking, in order to be better able to work with, against or around them.
Avoid both giving and taking offence
It is important that everyone feels able to say what they really think. When views are articulated bluntly or clumsily, we ask you to suspend instant judgment and enter into constructive discussion on them. We also ask you to communicate in a respectful way and to listen to any feedback as to why your ideas or language might cause offence.
Be a leader
Make sure that your contributions are to the point - and be prepared to ask the difficult questions. Speak as yourself. Support fellow participants when they have the courage to go out on a limb. On programmes, do not delegate issues to the Programme Director if the group is better placed to deal with them.
Be engaged – and positive
Show commitment. On programmes, make arrangements so that you can attend each event in full, keep to the timings given, prepare yourself well and ensure that you are not interrupted. Be fair and respectful in your dealings with other participants and graduates. If you can’t help someone, say so. If someone can’t help you, accept this. Use shared knowledge and experience for positive ends.
Observe the 5 minute convention
Be open and honest when connecting with others. Be clear in your requests - and generous and sincere in your responses. The 5 minute convention guides you when you seek help outside programme days and in the 360 community. This states that the person you approach, as long as they are happy to help, will say "5 minutes for free and then make a donation to the 360 Fund". It is up to you to decide whether the help you receive should be given for free and if appropriate, the size of the donation you choose to make.
Adhere strictly to the Chatham House Rule of confidentiality
Contributors, participants and graduates must feel that they can talk openly and gain insights from each other, so we observe the Chatham House Rule. This international rule states that speakers are: “free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed; nor may it be mentioned that the information was received at the meeting". This rule does not apply to online activities.
