This is a brief outline/summary of Priya Parker's "The Art of Gathering"
Taken from the Booksmart Podcast
- TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER 1: DECIDE WHY YOU’RE REALLY GATHERING
- Why to commit to a bold, sharp purpose (a category is not a purpose!)
- Why specificity is crucial
- Why a purpose should be disputable
- TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER 2: CLOSE DOORS
- Why your guest list is the first real test of your gathering
- Why/how to exclude well, and generously
- What the ideal sizes are for gathering types
- Why your venue sets the tone for your gathering
- TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER 3: DON’T BE A CHILL HOST
- Why you should acknowledge you have power as a host
- Why an abdication of power (being a “chill” host) often fails guests rather than serves them
- Why “generous authority” is about protecting, connecting, and equalizing guests
- TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER 4: CREATE A TEMPORARY ALTERNATIVE WORLD
- Why/how to “spice things up” by designing your gathering as a world that will only exist once
- How to use rules to create a unique feeling and make guests feel comfortable, secure, and included
- TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER 5: NEVER START A FUNERAL WITH LOGISTICS
- Why the opening of an event is often a big missed opportunity
- How priming works prior to your event
- Why/how to usher your guests into the experience of your gathering
- TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER 6: KEEP YOUR BEST SELF OUT OF MY GATHERING
- Why guests want realness and intimacy from each other, not just someone’s “public face”
- How to encourage guests to share honestly and authentically (and lead by example)
- TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER 7: CAUSE GOOD CONTROVERSY
- Why controversy can make a gathering “matter”
- Why/how to make your gathering "fruitfully controversial"
- TAKEAWAYS FROM CHAPTER 8: ACCEPT THAT THERE IS AN END
- How to logistically close your gathering, end on a high, and graciously say goodbye
- Why how you end things -- just as how you start things -- shapes the attendees’ experience
- Why closings are an opportunity to recall your purpose