What's a friendly greeting I can suggest to conference attendees?

September 20, 2018 12:44 PM

Last February, I attended a conference where a rabbi opened the event with a Shabbat service and suggested that we say "Shabbat shalom" to each other during the length of sabbath. This was to a large group of folks, most I assume were not Jewish. It worked well to get folks interacting — a small and easy invitation to engage with each other. In a few weeks, I'll be helping with a conference (about 200 academics that study contemplative practice/mindfulness) and would like to create a similar sort of invitation. I'm looking for something that invites that same friendly and kind interactions, while preferably being secular and not culturally appropriated. Suggestions?
posted by 10ch to Society & Culture (17 answers total)

Unless your group is totally homogenous you risk offending people. I've been to enough conferences to know people don't always listen to content but listen intently to introductions.. My sugestion? Tell a relevant and engaging anecdote.
posted by jacobean at 1:11 PM on September 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Been to a lot of conferences, ran a lot of conferences. My favorite ones acknowledge the taken land that we are on, the name of the tribes that live on this land, and how much we are in debt to people before us and that we have an example to lead. I go to a lot of racial justice/intersectional feminism conferences.
posted by yueliang at 1:17 PM on September 20, 2018 [12 favorites]

My thought is that (assuming the conference is in English) anything in a foreign language will at least raise the question of appropriation. So I would go for something in English that reflects the tone and intention of the conference. Since you want it to be used as a greeting, I would use the word "Greetings", maybe something like "Peaceful Greetings". No religious overtones, no reference to other cultures, consistent with values of mindfulness.
posted by metahawk at 1:46 PM on September 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

If you do this, you would also need to set up the greeting in the introduction to the conference as part of setting the tone for the weekend and then be prepared for some people to think it is stupid or artificial.
posted by metahawk at 1:48 PM on September 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

One pagan gathering I was at years ago had us look each other in the eye and say "how good it is to be here together". I forget what the response was supposed to be, but it was a lovely moment of connection.
posted by eafm at 2:07 PM on September 20, 2018 [13 favorites]

I also wonder if, at a mindfulness conference, the greeting could just be to take a moment to look into each others' eyes, be fully present with each other, and then move to introductions?
posted by eafm at 2:08 PM on September 20, 2018

“Harmony”
posted by galvanized unicorn at 3:18 PM on September 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

"Welcome here."
posted by suedehead at 3:33 PM on September 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

I’d just say something along the lines of how great it is that you’re all here, and you’d just like to give everyone a minute to acknowledge each other. That means people are free to just nod, or smile, shake hands and say their name, whatever their comfort level is.
posted by Jubey at 4:49 PM on September 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

I would say that Namaste comes immediately to mind. Usually said with hands pressed together but it doesn't have to be. Considering the topic, I think it's perfect. I bow to the divine in you.
posted by trixare4kids at 5:02 PM on September 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Shake hands (or bow for those of us who don't like to shake hands) and simply say "Thank you." to each other.
posted by elsietheeel at 5:22 PM on September 20, 2018

Perhaps if your introduction was this quote from Fyodor Dostoevsky:

"Man only likes to count his troubles, but he does not count his joys."

you might then invite the attendees to relate one joy they experienced with their neighbors. Even when life it difficult, we may perhaps enjoy a good meal, or see a good friend, or find some music uplifting.
posted by forthright at 7:28 PM on September 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

I also wonder if, at a mindfulness conference, the greeting could just be to take a moment to look into each others' eyes, be fully present with each other, and then move to introductions?

This would be actively unfriendly to autistic participants. Please don't do this.

Also, the Zen group that I participate in practices something when we're in the same space together, at a retreat or elsewhere, called "keeping custody of the eyes", which includes consciously not making eye contact as a way of respecting and not intruding on other people's experience. Please don't assume that eye contact is necessary or synonymous with mindfulness, connection, or anything else.

Some people will be made very, very uncomfortable if they perceive that you're carelessly appropriating something from another culture as an attempted greeting. I'd give you the same advice I give people who want to get tattoos in kanji when they don't read the language: unless you understand it well enough in the original to be able to explain why it's important to you, don't do it.
posted by Lexica at 8:00 PM on September 20, 2018 [7 favorites]

Best answer: Maybe you could work a quote from Fred Rogers into your opening remarks, and invite people to greet each other with, "Hello, neighbor."
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:55 PM on September 20, 2018 [16 favorites]

Feel free to use the greeting that we use in my Church of Christ congregation - during the Giving of the Peace, we turn to our neighbor and say either 'Peace' or 'Peace be with you'.

Maybe do that?
posted by spinifex23 at 12:03 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

I came in to make a different suggestion, but now I'm not going to, because this:

Maybe you could work a quote from Fred Rogers into your opening remarks, and invite people to greet each other with, "Hello, neighbor."

is perfect.
posted by anastasiav at 5:37 AM on September 21, 2018

Response by poster: Thank you, The Underpants Monster. That's perfect.
posted by 10ch at 8:19 AM on September 21, 2018 [1 favorite]