Guidelines for Chat Volunteers

(Following are the guidelines for chat volunteers. AnD management expects all the chat volunteers to
read these guidelines thoroughly)

- Empathy _ it is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s situation and to feel what that person
is experiencing. We cannot feel exactly the same but to an extent. It is a skill and you can practice
it.
- Respect _ all the volunteers are required to respect each other and the members of the group no
matter what the situation is.
- Active Listening _ most of us love to speak and give our opinion. The key to speak well is to listen
actively first. Let the person talk. Let the person vent.
- Tolerance and Patience _ the people you will be dealing with are not necessarily capable of asking
directly for what they need. Your tolerance and patience will help you avoid getting drained. So,
be patient, be tolerant for your good.
- Confidentiality _ what happens in chat room stays in chat room. Do not discuss matters outside
this platform, no matter what.
- Avoid indulging yourself in arguments for the sake of arguments.
- Participate in ViM group discussions.
- If anything you find confusing, complex, or complicated; DO NOT respond immediately. Discuss in
ViM group with your other fellows and then get back to the person.
- You are more than welcome to put forward your ideas and suggestions. Do it in our ViM group!
- Please note that private chats are not encouraged at all. No volunteer is allowed to initiate private
chat through this platform.
- Please note that if any member texts in TTV, do not start replying him/her all at once. Volunteer
who responded first will continue the conversation. If you need to jump in and want to add up,
you can but in a subtle way. We don’t want to make anyone feel awkward.
- When you reply to a volunteer, send this standard text first, ‘Hello, I am (Name). I am a volunteer
and I am here to listen and support you”
- Please understand that this group is for serious support talks. This does not mean that we can’t
use humour. We can. But then that’s tricky. Not everyone who is suffering from an issue would
take your humour as a joke. They can get offended and we do not want that.
- Do not discuss religion or political affiliations.
 - Please DO NOT respond to medical queries. Do not suggest any medicine at all.
- No hate speech or bullying _ please ensure that every member must feel safe in the group.
- We are volunteers but we can also encounter problems. Volunteers can talk about their problems
too but it is suggested to do it in ViM please. A person with mental issue would not likely to
understand that everyone can have problems and he/she might not trust talking to a volunteer if
we talk about our own problems in TTV.

We understand that everyone has a different personality and we love this diversity but please understand
that here as volunteers we are representing a platform. We are required to follow the protocols and
guidelines.

Kindly reply with, I understand and I will try my best to follow these guidelines.
Thank you!