Pasadena Singles Meetup - "Talking to Strangers?" September 22, 2006

Note: Please visit http://singles.meetup.com/531/events/5097610/ to RSVP so we can let Baker's Square know how many to expect.

Meet single people from the Pasadena area for intersting conversation.

The suggested topic for this event is "Talking to Strangers". Also, people can bring topic ideas. We can discuss the topics that we are most interested in.

We will have a "Conversation Cafe" style discussion. http://www.conversationcafe.org.
In our conversation cafe we will go around our circle and introduce ourselves and briefly introduce our thoughts on the topic (no response yet). We will again go around in turn and each have a chance to respond and make suggestions about which topic to delve in to (no response yet). Then we will open it up for discussion - the longest part of the discussion. For the discussion, the order of speaking will go in no particular order. After a period of time, we'll go around our circle for closing remarks - we'll each have a chance to say what we're taking away from the conversation.

Then, we can hang out for informal conversation.

Agreements for a conversation:

* 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
Notes:

We can also use the time to get to know each other, talk about being single, and discuss what we want out of our Meetups.

"Creating a positive future begins in human conversation. The simplest and most powerful investment any member of a community or an organization may make in renewal is to begin talking with other people as though the answers mattered."
--William Greider,
adapted from Who Will Tell the People

Official Website: http://singles.meetup.com/531/events/5097610/