PURPOSE

• To let ideas progress, and to network.

DRESS

• Smart casual to semi-formal.

COMMUNICATION STYLE

• Cordial but respectful.
• Interactive and lively.
• Our conferences gather theoreticians and practitioners who find a common language.

DEBATE STYLE

• Assertive but considerate of opposing views.
• Discussions are encouraged, quarrels are not.
• Our conferences encourage understanding across boundaries, be they disciplinary, cultural, or other.

CONTEXT PERCEPTION

• Some practices that are allowed in other conferences may not be accepted in ours.
• Our conferences are not subsidized. Instead, they rely solely on the registration fees and dues paid by conference participants.
• The public information given by TSCF on itself or on its conferences is clear, and strives to be as exhaustive as possible. Applicants and participants are expected to refer to this information as it will not be privately repeated.

ROLE UNDERSTANDING

• Conference participants are not consumers. TSCF is not a seller.
• Conference participation is not a right. It is dependent on acceptance by TSCF and compliance with the conference regulations.
• Participation in conferences is constructive and helpful.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

• Conference participants are regarded as members of a community. They are encouraged to stay in touch in the future within a larger TSCF constituency.
• Partial or intermittent conference attendance is not allowed.
• Persons accompanying conference participants are not admitted to the conference rooms.

PROCESS COORDINATION

• Conference session schedules are strictly enforced.
• Participants are expected to communicate regularly with the conference organizers.
• They must clear any problem with their email communication such as those associated with spam filters.

WORK DIVISION

• Participants attend sessions, ask questions, and participate in discussions.
• Speakers report individually or collectively on the status of a subject.
• Discussants of paper or panel sessions summarize contributions, raise questions, and provide comments and critiques that lead to discussions.
• Paper or panel session chairs introduce the speakers, start and end the sessions in an orderly and timely manner, lead and conclude the discussions, and report any encountered problem during their session.
• Moderators launch and lead roundtable discussion groups, and help these groups produce results.
• The conference chair and co-chairs are responsible for organizing the conference, managing providers and support staff, and enforcing the conference regulations. They may take measures to assure that appropriate order and decorum are maintained throughout the conference.