The Common Ground Network for Life and Choice Manual

CHAPTER TWO:
GETTING STARTED
People start common ground efforts for a variety of reasons and with differing goals.
Creating a formal organization is one possibility. More commonly the effort begins as an
informal gathering of people who want to come together in the spirit of common ground
described in the previous chapter. They may be individuals from the community at large, or
people identified with the same church, university, profession, or area of concern. What makes it
a common ground effort is the participation by people from “both (all) sides” who want to open a
positive channel with their opposites.
Beginning Steps of a Common Ground Effort
There are four beginning steps that all efforts, regardless of size, context, degree of
formality, or manner of origin, need to take in one form or another: (1) forming a nucleus with
at least one person from each side; (2) developing a common purpose, an open agenda, and
trust; (3) developing a set of ground rules; and (4) choosing a group facilitator.
Forming a Nucleus
People on both sides of an issue need to be involved in initiating a common ground
effort. We recommend this as the first step because, in our experience with the abortion issue,
gathering pro-life and pro-choice individuals together is much more successful when those
hosting meetings and issuing invitations include people representing both viewpoints.
Sometimes, however, the energy to begin dialogue is one-sided at first. This imbalance needs to
be addressed as soon as possible because lop-sided initiatives do not work. If the conveners all