PDF Summary:The Art of Community, by Charles Vogl

Do you belong to a community you care about and want to improve? If not, have you ever wondered how to establish or join a new community? In either case, community expert Charles Vogl can help you achieve your goals with the advice in his 2016 book, The Art of Community. Vogl covers everything from the beginning stages of community development to the roles and responsibilities of community leaders.

In this guide, we’ll explain what a community is, explore some of the fundamental guidelines all communities should follow, and discuss Vogl’s advice for instituting a community meeting place and set of customs. Then, we’ll talk about how you can use lore, emblems, and mementos to enhance belonging within your community. Finally, we’ll discuss community growth, including best practices for incorporating new members and managing community ranks. In our commentary, we’ll explore other experts’ opinions about what makes a community worthwhile and how to make the most of your community experience.

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Other Best Practices for Community Customs From The Art of Gathering

In The Art of Gathering, Parker shares some best practices for hosting group events. Applying these to your community’s customs can help members make the most of their time together.

First, let’s discuss Parker’s recommendations for opening community events (including customs) effectively. Before the event begins, she says you should provide a literal or psychological transition, like a physical doorway or an activity that grabs guests’ attention. That way, members can forget about other parts of their lives and focus on the event at hand. Then, she says you should open the event by intentionally welcoming guests (perhaps by greeting them, as Vogl suggests) and creating a community atmosphere (for example, by having guests introduce themselves to each other before the custom begins).

Parker also shares some recommendations that leaders can use during the custom itself. First, she says that in some cases, the meaningful words you share at the start of your custom should take the form of vulnerable storytelling. She explains that when event attendees share stories about themselves, they form more authentic connections with each other; this would imbue your custom with a greater sense of meaning. (As we’ll discuss in the next section, Vogl agrees that storytelling deepens your sense of community.)

Parker also suggests that as the host of a community event, you should help attendees get to know each other better—for example, during the group activity Vogl suggests incorporating, you could pair members of the community who don’t know each other very well.

Parker also says you should consider inviting people who don’t know each other at all—but acknowledges that may be tough to do unless your community is very large or you’re bringing two subcommunities together. If a situation like this does arise, it’ll be even more important for the event’s host to forge connections between members who are strangers to each other.

Parker agrees with Vogl that it’s important to reorient participants to the outside world at the end of your custom. To that end, she suggests following these steps: First, when the custom has been fulfilled and enthusiasm is still high, let attendees know that the event will be ending soon. That way, the event will end on a high note instead of petering out on its own. Next, deal with any housekeeping issues (for example, determining a time and place for your next custom). Then unite the community once more, perhaps by asking them to reflect on their time together. Finally, help participants transition to mundane life; you can do this by giving them a memento (which we’ll discuss in greater detail later) and officially ending the event.

Enhancing Your Community

Now that you understand the basic elements that bind a community together, let’s explore some key characteristics that enhance connections between community members. First, we’ll discuss the value of sharing community lore; then, we’ll explain how emblems and keepsakes foster a sense of belonging.

Sharing Community Lore

According to Vogl, sharing community lore can enhance connection between members of a community by helping them understand each other and their morals better. (Vogl calls this the Stories Principle). Typically, lore is shared via in-person conversations, but online communities can enable lore-sharing by giving members an opportunity to speak with each other virtually through text or video.

(Shortform note: According to neuroscientists, sharing lore doesn’t just help you connect with others on a mental or emotional level—the connection also happens on a physical level. Studies suggest that when you listen to a compelling story, your brainwaves synchronize with those of the storyteller; this means your brain acts as if you were truly inside the narrative, which helps you understand the story on a deeper level. Similar brain activity occurs when you read others’ stories, which suggests that sharing community lore online in the form of text may be just as effective as in-person storytelling.)

Vogl says there are three kinds of community lore:

Autobiographical lore (which Vogl calls personal stories) includes stories shared by individual members of the community about their own lives. Vogl explains that autobiographical lore is valuable because when members share their life stories, they get to know each other on a deeper level and develop more respect for each other’s tenacity in overcoming their individual struggles. Sharing autobiographical lore also builds trust and a sense of belonging within the community.

(Shortform note: Experts offer suggestions for creating a space in your community where members can share autobiographical lore. First, you have to provide an appropriate forum—these include events that are explicitly focused on group storytelling, like roundtables and other kinds of discussion sessions. Then, create a safe space by encouraging members to listen attentively, validate each other’s stories, and express gratitude to each other for their willingness to share.)

Foundational lore explains how the community came into existence and reveals the community’s moral code. Vogl says that foundational lore has three elements—it explains how members discovered something meaningful, accomplished something novel because of that discovery, and welcomed others to participate in perpetuating that process with them. Foundational lore should be accurate, but it doesn’t have to be literal—for example, religions often make use of foundational lore that’s best understood metaphorically, like creation stories.

(Shortform note: In Built to Last, Jim Collins explains that visionary companies—that is, the most long-lasting and successful companies—use foundational lore to create a corporate community that helps them achieve that success. Collins says that visionary companies indoctrinate their employees with company-specific foundational lore as soon as they’re hired, just as a cult indoctrinates its new members with its beliefs. This process helps employees buy into the company’s core philosophy and embody its values. This then leads to greater synergy, which helps companies achieve their goals. Foundational lore might similarly foster solidarity among members of non-corporate communities, too.)

Moral lore, according to Vogl, recounts examples of when a community came together to put their moral code into practice. For example, if a community believes in making sure all members have their financial needs met, members might share moral lore about a time when they pulled together the funds an individual needed to pay their bills. Vogl says that moral lore serves as proof that the community practices what it preaches and makes a meaningful difference in members’ lives.

(Shortform note: In addition to proving that the community practices what it preaches, moral lore can be a useful teaching tool to instruct new members about the community’s values. According to experts, stories make learning easier (as opposed to simply sharing a list of facts, for example) for a couple of reasons: First, lore is engaging—you’re more likely to get wrapped up in a story than in a list of community rules. Because of this, you’re more likely to remember what you learned from the story than you are to remember what you learned from a list. Second, the process of sharing lore is suitable for various learning styles. For example, if you’re a kinesthetic learner, you’ll pick up on and remember how the lore makes you feel internally.)

Vogl also explains that it’s beneficial for communities to be vulnerable when they share lore. Based on psychologist Brené Brown’s work, Vogl defines vulnerability as a sense of emotional riskiness that occurs when someone might disapprove of what you say. He says that vulnerability strengthens community bonds because when you’re honest about your shortcomings and struggles instead of trying to maintain an image of perfection, it builds trust.

(Shortform note: In The Power of Vulnerability, Brené Brown explains that feelings of shame can impede your ability to be vulnerable with others. If you struggle to share vulnerable stories with other members of your community, you might try some of Brown’s tips for moving past shame-based barriers. These include decoupling your self-worth from your mistakes, naming shame when you feel it, accepting that you can’t control others’ expectations of you or reactions to your story, and tapping your forehead when you notice that you’re spiraling into a state of deep shame—this helps you activate your capacity for reason, de-intensifying your emotions.)

Fostering Belonging With Emblems and Mementos

Vogl explains that communities can use emblems—visuals like insignias, logos, and motifs—to foster a sense of belonging (he calls this the Symbols Principle). Emblems are metaphoric representations of a community’s moral code—for example, the US flag uses colors and symbols (stars and stripes) to symbolize the nation’s history and values (like unity and bravery). Vogl explains that emblems foster belonging because when you see them, you’re effortlessly reminded of what your community stands for and its significance to people’s lives.

(Shortform note: Because emblems are so powerful, members of a community who are unhappy with the community’s functioning may make emblems the focal point of their disillusionment. For example, to protest anti-Black injustice in the United States, the football player Colin Kaepernick began kneeling before the American flag (instead of standing with his hand over his heart, as is tradition) during pre-game performances of the national anthem. According to experts, heightened emotional response to such protests against community emblems, which are often perceived as disrespectful, demonstrate how important these emblems are—as Vogl explains, they function as a metaphor for the community itself.)

According to Vogl, mementos are the most powerful form of emblems. Mementos are items bestowed upon members to keep. He explains that when one member of the community gives another member a memento, they’re signifying that the recipient is a valid and appreciated part of the community. When you’re the recipient, the memento serves as a reminder that you’re accepted and cared for. There’s no limit to what kind of item can be given as a memento as long as its meaning is clear—for example, a community of divers might give seashells to new members to mark their acceptance within the group, a group of recovering alcoholics might give members chips to mark their progress, and an online community might give out digital badges.

(Shortform note: Psychologists note that mementos hold sentimental power because they represent the achievements that are important to your self-worth. Such achievements tend to be intangible and fleeting—for example, the moment you’re finally accepted by your community can’t be wrapped up in a gift box. Thus, the memento serves as proof that it happened—something you can revisit time and time again, even though the moment of actual achievement has passed. Because of mementos’ sentimental value, people often struggle when they lose or need to get rid of them—so when you’re choosing an item to give as a memento, it’s important to choose something that won’t deteriorate or devalue over time.)

Vogl recommends imbuing mementos with meaning by following three steps: First, tell the recipient why they’re receiving this memento (for example, to celebrate a success). Then, tell the recipient what the memento means (for example, a seashell might represent the beauty of the ocean to a group of divers). Finally, tell the recipient the memento’s purpose (for example, reminding them that they belong).

(Shortform note: Vogl suggests that you imbue mementos with meaning by verbalizing the memento’s purpose and why you’re giving it to the other person. Experts say that spoken words tend to be more emotionally impactful than written words. However, if you’re in an online community where it’s more convenient to use text or if you’re simply more comfortable writing a message to your recipient than saying it aloud, you might consider sharing this information inside a note or card attached to the memento. While speaking is usually more emotionally impactful, writing down what you want to say gives you more time to perfect your message—if you choose your words carefully, you might make more of an impact this way.)

Expanding Your Community

Once your community has been strengthened with lore, emblems, and keepsakes, it’ll be ready to invite new members in. In this section, we’ll explore Vogl’s tips for incorporating new members and discuss how to use stratification to your community’s advantage.

Incorporating New Members

Vogl explains that when communities truly believe in their moral code, they’ll want to open their group to all who could benefit from joining it. However, communities should have barriers to admittance—a line that separates those who are welcome within the community and those who aren’t, based on whether they share the same moral code. (Vogl calls this the Boundary Principle).

(Shortform note: Sociologists explain that there are two kinds of barriers to admittance to communities: symbolic boundaries and social boundaries. Symbolic boundaries are concepts people use to distinguish between members and non-members of a group—for example, if your community only admits people under 30, “youth” might be one of the symbolic boundaries that maintains your group’s exclusivity. Social boundaries are concrete or material manifestations of symbolic boundaries; for example, if your community only admits people with college degrees, you’re using formal education as a social boundary to separate members and non-members.)

Vogl explains that many communities believe exclusivity is unfriendly or unfair, but he argues that barriers to admittance help community members feel safe: When the barriers are maintained, the community knows it won’t be infiltrated by people who don’t share their moral code and who would judge or even sabotage them because of their choices and beliefs. Without barriers to admittance, trust and connection eventually erode, which may cause members to become disillusioned and leave.

(Shortform note: In The Art of Gathering, Parker agrees with Vogl that exclusivity helps you protect your group from people who disagree with your beliefs and who might sabotage or distract your group from its purpose. For this reason, Parker views the decision not to invite non-members to group activities as an act of compassion toward members of your group. There may be reason to believe this is compassionate toward non-members, too: Psychologists explain that we have an inherent tendency to treat members of the groups we belong to better than non-members, no matter the circumstances. If you invited non-members to join community events, you might treat them poorly without meaning to—so it’s better not to invite them at all.)

Helping New Members Join

To help would-be members cross barriers to admittance, Vogl recommends incorporating a trial phase. During the trial phase, you allow would-be members to participate in community activities without making a full commitment to the community’s moral code. For online communities, Vogl recommends asking prospective members to explain why they want to join and answer questions about what they think of the community’s purpose and expectations. Having a trial phase enables newbies to learn more about the moral code and see if the community is a good fit for them, in the same way you’d try on a pair of shoes before buying them.

(Shortform note: Experts on community relations have advice for newbies in the trial phase of joining a community. They recommend showing up regularly to community events to establish yourself as a familiar face—this helps other members become comfortable with you and helps you feel like you belong. Experts also recommend being proactive about getting to know other members of the community—if you simply fade into the background or expect others to take charge of getting to know you, it decreases your chances of forming meaningful connections. One way to be proactive about getting to know your community is to introduce yourself to someone new at each event you attend.)

However, Vogl writes, it’s important to maintain some division between committed members and trial members—otherwise, committed members may worry about being judged or sabotaged by newbies. To maintain this division, he recommends reserving the most special or complicated activities for committed members only. He also says that some kinds of information shouldn’t be shared with trial members—this includes sensitive information about community operations as well as certain perspectives that can only be developed over time by participating in the community. For example, new converts to Buddhism probably aren’t ready for more advanced spiritual insights.

(Shortform note: Vogl intends for this method to be protective, but cults and other destructive communities sometimes use it nefariously—instead of inundating newcomers with virulent ideas, they slowly ingratiate newcomers without giving them the full picture of the community. For example, white supremacist groups have been known to lure new recruits by sharing less abrasive ideas and activities (like video game trash talk) that are easy to buy into and then gradually introducing them to more toxic ideas. Another example is the Mormon community’s tendency to put “milk before meat,” as explained by some ex-Mormons—that is, to share only the most agreeable tenets of the faith until the newcomer is committed to joining the community.)

Helping New Members Belong

When a would-be member finishes their trial phase and is certain they want to join the community, Vogl recommends incorporating a clear induction custom (Vogl calls this the Initiation Principle). The induction custom can be formal, like a ceremony, or informal, like a simple acknowledgment from a senior member that the new member is welcome (this is especially useful in online communities). Incorporating a clear induction custom helps new members feel like they’re a valid part of the community—without one, new members might be left wondering whether they’re truly accepted and valued by the community.

(Shortform note: Some communities, like the US military and college fraternities, have a history of incorporating toxic behaviors like hazing (which involves humiliating and abusive activities) into their induction customs. Experts explain that in these cases, induction customs can be traumatic, dangerous, and even criminal. As an alternative, they recommend incorporating healthier activities like community service into your induction customs. There are a wealth of positive induction customs out there that you might take inspiration from—for example, some cultures have induction customs that welcome girls to womanhood after they get their first period, which can involve eating special foods and wearing special clothing.)

To ensure new members feel welcome, continually reinforce a sense of belonging by asking them to be part of community activities. Vogl notes that even established members sometimes struggle to feel secure in their belonging, and he writes that you should also ask them to participate with the community. Doing so not only helps others feel welcome, but it also reinforces your own sense of belonging—you wouldn’t have the authority to ask if you weren’t a valid member of the community.

(Shortform note: Psychologists explain that both new members and long-term members of a community can struggle to feel secure in their belonging—this phenomenon is called imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is often accompanied by the feeling that you’re a fraud, as if you’re only pretending to be the kind of person your community would accept and that you’ll eventually be “found out.” To cope with imposter syndrome, experts recommend talking to mentors within your community who can support and reassure you. They also recommend you celebrate your strengths and successes, and even that you mentor others (this drives home the fact that you’re a valuable member of your community).)

Using Stratification to Your Community’s Advantage

As your community grows, stratification (a division between more experienced and less experienced members) will naturally occur. Vogl (who calls this the Inner Rings Principle) explains that stratification is a good thing—it gives members something to aspire to, as it shows that there’s a potential for developing their skills and moral sensibilities and becoming better versions of themselves.

(Shortform note: Vogl explains that stratification is beneficial when it produces role models—people whose mastery of skills and morals you aspire to replicate. We typically think of role models as being important for children, but psychologists argue that having a role model is valuable at every stage of life because learning from others is a lifelong process. If you had good role models as a child but have poor role models as an adult, you might unwittingly replace the positive lessons you learned during childhood with negative ones. Conversely, if you learned to behave badly from your childhood role models, having a positive role model in adulthood can help you unlearn those behaviors and choose a better path forward.)

However, stratification can also present a problem when members feel compelled to continually climb to higher and higher ranks because they desire prestige. This is unhealthy because when you’re always aiming to achieve something more, you’re never satisfied with what you have now.

(Shortform note: There may be another factor driving you to climb to higher community ranks—perfectionism. Some forms of perfectionism can drive you to pursue unrealistic goals (like becoming the best of the best within your community) because you fear that if you don’t achieve those goals, you’ll lose others’ respect. According to psychologists, perfectionism can exacerbate self-esteem issues and even lead to an early death. To tame your perfectionism, experts recommend noting the ways it’s hurting you, setting more realistic goals, and creating healthy limits that help you know when enough’s enough. For example, you might volunteer to spearhead just one community project rather than putting your hand up for all of them.)

To remedy this pitfall, Vogl recommends that you prioritize building relationships over seeking status. Recall that the fundamental purpose of a community is to bring people together so they can support each other’s growth. If you keep that goal in mind, you’ll be more satisfied with simply being part of your community and less likely to pursue endless advancement. To help you focus on this priority, Vogl recommends participating in community activities that you enjoy often—this will enhance your connections with other members and bring you a natural sense of fulfillment.

(Shortform note: Vogl recommends prioritizing community relationships because it’s more fulfilling than status-seeking—and according to an 80-year longitudinal study conducted by Harvard University, he’s right. This study found that the happiest people are those that prioritized their relationships over other facets of well-being (including the accrual of achievements and status). Importantly, prioritizing your relationships means putting in the effort needed to maintain them—this might require regular reflection on the status of your relationships and a willingness to connect with members of your community, even when you don’t feel like it.)

How to Help Community Members Advance

Although you should prioritize relationships over status, Vogl says it’s natural to want to continue growing as a person and advancing within a community. He makes a few recommendations that can help community members make healthy progress. Note that these principles apply to both offline and online communities.

First, develop a healthier definition of success within your community. This involves recognizing several different levels of success within the community—lower, higher, and highest levels—and bestowing members with progressively greater privileges as they graduate from one level to the next. That way, you don’t have to be the best of the best for your growth to be honored. Vogl also explains that not everyone can or should reach the highest levels of a community—every level is equally important because everyone within the community brings something unique and valuable to the table. Once you find a level that’s comfortable, it’s okay to stay there; you don’t have to keep advancing just for the sake of achievement.

(Shortform note: According to Paul Millerd in The Pathless Path, you can create a healthier definition of success by forgetting about external markers of success like status (or in this case, community rank) and focusing instead on two more important factors: contributing something important to the world and living according to your values. Millerd says defining success in this way is more fulfilling because instead of trying to achieve an arbitrary benchmark, you’re living out a meaningful, dynamic process that brings you recurrent joy. In a community context, these measures of success can be attained by anyone—for example, even brand-new members can appreciate the value of their contributions when they engage in community activities.)

Second, clarify advancement criteria. Vogl says that the best goal a community can have is to expand members’ capacity for care. The newest members of a community might be concerned primarily with developing their own skills and character, but more experienced members concern themselves with helping newer members grow—and members of the highest levels of the community are concerned with promoting the wellbeing of everyone in the world. The more caring you become, the higher the level you can reach. Other qualifications for advancement—like mastery of certain skills—should also be made clear, and members’ qualifications should be appraised before they’re allowed to formally advance.

(Shortform note: Clear advancement criteria and an expanded capacity for care may be especially important in business-oriented communities. Some experts believe that clear advancement criteria help with motivation—when people know how to make progress toward higher strata in a business (or community), they feel more willing and able to pursue that path. Business experts John Mackey and Raj Sisodia also agree that advancement should expand your capacity for care. In Conscious Capitalism, they explain that in corporate settings, it’s OK for people at lower levels (like customers and employees) to be more self-focused, but leaders have to consider everyone’s well-being to make the wisest company decisions.)

Third, Vogl says you should establish an infrastructure that can support growth. This means giving all interested members access to more experienced members who can teach them what they need to know if they’re going to advance to higher levels. Teaching can be formal (like a skills class) or informal (like experienced members sharing wisdom with newer members when they hang out). Vogl explains that this infrastructure should be easy to access—the purpose of a community is to support members’ growth, so if newer members feel that they can’t or don’t know how to learn from more experienced members, they’ll lose interest. Vogl adds that teaching supports the growth of more experienced members, too, because they’ll learn from their mentees.

(Shortform note: In more informal communities, you might allow newer members to self-select their mentors. For example, that’s how Alcoholics Anonymous’ infrastructure is set up—new members simply ask a more experienced member with whom they’ve connected to sponsor, or support, their recovery from alcoholism. In contrast, some more formal communities use mentor-matching, where administrators take into account available mentors’ and mentees’ values and goals and use that information to create mentor-mentee pairs they think will be mutually beneficial.)

The Role of Higher-Level Community Members

Vogl explains that because they’ve made more progress within the community, higher-level community members have greater power in three domains: They have the right to include or exclude members from the community based on their behavior, they preside over community customs, and they educate less experienced members about the community’s moral code.

(Shortform note: Beyond these three powers, some experts argue that higher-level community members have other special capabilities, too. For example, in Dare to Lead, Brené Brown argues that leaders are uniquely responsible for promoting vulnerability within their communities, strengthening connections between community members, and inoculating their communities against failure.)

The role that higher-level members play is important—without their oversight, lower-level community members might disregard the moral code, repeat community management mistakes, and consequently lose faith in the community’s value or ability to function. Higher-level members might take what less experienced members say under consideration, but higher-level members’ opinions are generally more respected.

(Shortform note: One reason that higher-level community members’ opinions are more respected is that they have more experience inside the community, which lends them greater credibility. In Principles: Life and Work, Ray Dalio argues that when communities give heavier weight to the opinions of more credible people, this leads to better group decision-making.)

However, Vogl also says that the greater authority higher-level members enjoy must be earned, and it can be easily lost if other members don’t feel they’re doing a good job. He says higher-level members often fail when their egos get in the way and they disallow any debate about community ideals. To safeguard against this, higher-level members should listen to others who disagree with the status quo and be open to making changes. When disagreements can’t be resolved, it’s best for higher-level members to exclude dissenting members who insist on a new moral code—they can then form their own community.

(Shortform note: In Servant Leadership, Robert K. Greenleaf makes a similar argument about leaders of formal institutions that can be adopted for high-ranking members of any community. He says that leaders can only earn authority and respect by proving that their way of doing things actually benefits the people they serve (in this case, lower-ranking members of the community) and embodying five other qualities (self-responsibility, intuition, perseverance, good communication, and a nurturing spirit). To safeguard against abuses of authority, he recommends moderating the power that high-ranking members of an institution can exercise (for example, by distributing power equally among several leaders).)