Activity 2: What Is Trust? (30 minutes), Workshop 3: Trust, in the Principled Commitment Program
Materials for Activity
- Newsprint with prepared questions (see Preparation)
- Easel
- Markers
Preparation for Activity
- Write the following four questions on newsprint, leaving room below the last question to write responses:
- What is trust?
- Why is trust important in a relationship?
- How can justice, equity, and compassion enhance trust in a relationship?
- What actions help couples earn and maintain each other's trust?
Description of Activity
Invite participants to form small groups of two or three couples. Display the newsprint you have prepared. Invite participants to discuss the four questions in their small groups.
After about twenty minutes, regather the large group. Solicit responses to the final question — ideas about how partners can earn and maintain each other's trust. List participants' responses on the newsprint sheet. You may want to suggest the following ideas:
- We respond in a caring way to each other's needs
- We communicate genuinely
- We have faith in each other to do the best we can
- We can count on each other; we are reliable
After the group has spent a few minutes generating the list, ask whether anyone would like to propose essential skills for creating and maintaining trust.
You may wish to conclude the activity by proposing the following essential skills:
- Communicating openly
- Being honest
- Following through on commitments
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Last updated on Saturday, October 29, 2011.
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