RE: Improving discussions in standards groups

Hi Chris,

I’m glad that Google is working on improving discussions. I have considered writing a document like this for W3C for years, and I’m wondering what others think about that idea.

A few suggestions for rewording to improve tone a bit.

https://github.com/cwilso/standards-of-behavior#q-what-are-some-examples-of-golden-rule-a-recognize-the-validity-of-others-points-of-view

s/recognize that their prioritization may be valid in their view,/ recognize that their prioritization may be valid
s/or simpler alternatives that may satisfy the same need./ or simpler alternatives that may satisfy everyone

https://github.com/cwilso/standards-of-behavior#q-what-are-some-examples-of-golden-rule-b-dont-assume-ask-instead

s/Don’t make assumptions about what others say that they did not explicitly state./ Don’t make assumptions about what others think that they did not explicitly state.
I am trying to come up with better wording for ““I’m not sure why you think X is an important problem, is there a use case I’m not considering?” – Perhaps “Can you say more about why you think X is important? Is there a use case I’m not considering?” The phrasing “I’m not sure why you think…” very much puts the other person on the defensive. You might consider adding something about how asking “why” puts people on the defensive but asking people to explain their ideas more encourages them to share more information without seeming to accuse. This one is subtle, and I hope I’ve explained it well.

https://github.com/cwilso/standards-of-behavior#q-what-should-i-do-if-the-discussion-is-not-respectful-or-constructive

You might consider adding a comment about admonishing people in private and praising them in public.

Tzviya Siegman
Information Standards Principal
Wiley
201-748-6884
tsiegman@wiley.com<mailto:tsiegman@wiley.com>

From: Chris Wilson <cwilso@google.com>
Sent: Monday, March 21, 2022 1:58 PM
To: public-pwe@w3.org
Subject: Improving discussions in standards groups

⛔
This is an external email.
Hi all!

I wanted to raise an effort to the PWE's attention, and invite you to provide feedback if you like; there's no explicit ask here, other than "let me know if you think this is a bad idea".

In short, we want to improve the tone and engagement in standards venues, by encouraging more inclusive and productive-conversation-focused behavior - both by Google employees, and others.  We wanted to highlight this to our team, and also encourage those outside Google to let us know when we could do better.  Our intent is to explicitly support Codes of Conduct (particularly the CEPC), not to replace them.

You can see this work in progress at https://github.com/cwilso/standards-of-behavior<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/github.com/cwilso/standards-of-behavior__;!!N11eV2iwtfs!p7f_dB7oVWWipdfbKl1lT4A2G5FLGywccvqy_ClYztucE6GFvc-odtTN1lmn9VUtr3H6A-2c6NX7mw$>.

To quote the introduction:


We believe the development of successful, open standards for the web platform requires safe, inclusive and productive venues for discussion. In particular, standards discourse must include and be respectful of diverse perspectives. At all times, our interactions should be respectful, professional and constructive.

This document outlines guidelines that we believe are necessary to encourage constructive conversation, and ensure safety and inclusiveness for all involved. This is not an attempt to rewrite Codes of Conduct in venues; we are just indicating that we expect organizations to abide by their Codes of Conduct, and providing an explicit avenue of support within our team to those who need it.

Please let me know if you have any feedback; I'm happy to discuss at a PWE meeting if you like, but will also happily accept feedback in email or Github issues.

Thanks!

-Chris



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