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Weekend Reading For me, summer means parties on the patio, and over the years, I’ve learned great tricks from Martha Stewart and the gorgeous house-and-home magazines that pile up next to my bed. There are shawls on the back of my friends’ chairs, in case the night turns cool; there’s water in pretty bottles down the center of the table so we can all serve ourselves, and there’s something for everyone to eat, whether they’re vegan or meat-loving. But making sure the conversation is up to the standard of the place settings? Trickier. Priya Parker is an expert in that overlooked but crucial skill. Her background in conflict resolution taught her the value and impact of getting together in-person, with a set intention. I’ve been fascinated to read her book, The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, which Riverhead published in May.
“Cause good controversy” and other tips to hosting the perfect gathering: From dinner parties to conferences, Priya Parker’s new book brings people and empathy back to the centre of how we entertain Facilitator and strategic advisor, founder of Thrive Labs, TEDx talk speaker and now author, Priya Parker, who’s trained in conflict resolution, clearly flaunts several feathers in her career cap. In her new book, The Art of Gathering, she takes the stance that our gatherings thus far have lacked luster, and presents her shiny 2.0 edition. Endorsed by Deepak Chopra, Parker’s human-centered approach comes in eight easy steps—and includes provocative and cheeky pointers such as “Don’t Be A Chill Host” and “Cause Good Controversy”. Positioning herself far from the “old Martha Stewart way”, Parker shares her research and gathering process, and offers three tips to gathering with us.
From Parties to PowerPoint: How to Design Better Gatherings As a veteran facilitator trained in conflict resolution, Priya Parker has participated in peace processes in the Arab world and led meetings with everyone from college students to U.S. federal officials. Her new book, The Art of Gathering, draws on those experiences and research into meet ups as varied as flash mobs and funerals to offer tips for adding meaning to gatherings -- both the quotidian and once in a lifetime. Parker joins Forum to discuss why risk taking and exclusion are keys to better meetings and what you can do to add a sense of purpose to your get-togethers.
The Best Way to Make Your Meetings More Productive? Don't Try to Make Them More Productive! Instead, focus on purpose, people--and experiments. Oh no, you might be thinking, another article about how to make meetings more productive. And then...back at work: another unproductive meeting. How can it be that despite our best intentions and a swath of literature offering helpful advice, our meeting culture hasn't changed--and most of our meetings still suck?
10 Best Books on Leadership So Far This Year: We Read All the New Books on Leadership So You Don’t Have To What makes a good boss? Answers and advice from psychology professors, business consultants, Google executives, even sports analysts. The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker Big Idea: Most meetings are boring missed opportunities. Here’s how to make them fun and meaningful.
Defining the Purpose of a Live Event In the 100th episode of GatherGeeks, David Adler, C.E.O. of BizBash, and Beth Kormanik, editor in chief of BizBash, sit down with Priya Parker, the founder of Thrive Labs and author of the new book The Art of Gathering. Parker draws from interviews with a variety of traditional and non-traditional event organizers, as well as her background in conflict resolution, to create a framework for how to bring people together.
New Book Looks at "The Art of Gathering" Author Priya Parker discusses her new book "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters."
How To Make The Gatherings In Our Lives More Meaningful (Radio Interview) People typically spend a lot of time in different types of gatherings ranging from meetings to conference calls to dinner parties. The problem, our guest says, is that too many of these are an “ineffective” use of our time. Join us as we consider how to turn these gatherings - both work and play - into meaningful and memorable experiences.
Here's how to host a dinner party or meeting that's not completely lame - Priya Parker, author of ‘The Art of Gathering,’ urges hosts to value people over things Priya Parker has been bringing people together for most of her life. As the only child of an Indian mother and white American father who divorced and both remarried, Parker grew up shuttling every two weeks between “two radically different worlds,” she told Moneyish: her mom’s “Hindu, Buddhist, New Age, progressive” household and her dad’s conservative, evangelical Christian family.
How I Learned to Throw Amazing Parties, Every Time Why do so many get-togethers leave us feeling vaguely unsatisfied and a little hollow? Priya Parker, a group facilitator with a background in conflict resolution and the founder of Thrive Labs, which helps leaders have more meaningful gatherings, was struck by the same thought. Parker says we focus a lot on entertaining—picking the perfect recipes, setting the right playlist—but don’t really talk about the how of hosting once everyone is in the room.