The Common Ground Network for Life and Choice Manual

would be attending at their own expense, since common ground is an extra-curricular activity
for most people. We offered both a regular registration fee and a reduced fee for those
asserting reduced ability to pay. For the same reason, we insured that lower-cost lodging
options were available at each site.
Conference Design.
People are apprehensive about involving themselves in a potentially ugly argument on
abortion for any length of time but an invitation to spend two and one-half days with people on
the “other side” had to take this concern especially seriously. We also had to take into account
the anxiety, especially of full-time advocates, that involvement with common ground might be
seen as a sign of weakness or concession, in a setting much more public than the usual
workshop. The same care about creating a safe environment conducive to dialogue had to
govern the conference planning and led to the following elements going into the design.
Small conference size.
The decision was to aim for a gathering of no larger than 125 participants. This turned
out to be a size large enough to create the larger common ground universe we were after, but
small enough to make plenaries comfortable and interaction between many participants
possible.
Ground rules.
The conference brochure set out the ground rules for participation, to which attendees
agreed by affixing their signature to their registration form. These were the basic ones found
elsewhere in this Manual:
• Respectful speech and behavior toward all;
• A sincere desire to understand and be understood;
• A pledge to refrain from attempting to convince or convert others;
• Maintaining the confidentiality of dialogue sessions.