A Sketch Agreement is a personal page where the author outlines their best guess as to the shape, form, and contents of a group’s agreement in some domain. This is a form of active Listening in Writing.
It is important to note that just because something is written on a page marked **Sketch Agreement**, it should not be assumed that it is agreed upon by everyone, or that the author believes it is. Even if the document reads as though it represents a consensus, it remains a personal interpretation until confirmed collectively.
For brevity and clarity, it is often better for an author to write in a style that *sounds like* a final agreement. This gives others a clear opportunity to understand what they might be signing up to, and to discuss, disagree with, or amend the proposal on their own page.
It simply takes too long—and confuses the discussion—if every sentence must be qualified with words like “possibly” or “I suggest.” Instead, we encourage a bolder, clearer process where everyone writes their thoughts on their own page, rather than relying on verbal discussion alone.
Once ideas have been put into writing, lay them out in a series of workshops and sign off collectively on a shared document. For now, these are my notes and best guesses regarding what might work.