Staff meetings, family reunions, study groups, dinner parties — even with all the digital ways we have to connect, face-to-face gatherings are still a regular part of our lives. And if you've ever nodded off during a work meeting, you know that not every gathering is exactly the pinnacle of social engagement.
Priya Parker has written a book called "The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters." Parker facilitates gatherings of all kinds — conferences, meetings, parties, even a summer camp — and in her book, she writes about ways to re-invigorate all kinds of group activities. She's also collecting stories about meeting.
One person wrote to her to say that their best gatherings occurred when they explicitly banned small talk. Another person ditched the book club for the podcast episode club, leading to much better conversation because more people had done the assignment.
That got us thinking about you listeners and your own experience with gatherings.
Tell us your most successful gathering story, or a tale about an in-person get together that just didn't work out.
Maybe you have a wedding planning horror story. Or maybe you came up with a new, creative ritual that got your friends connecting more deeply every year that it continues. We want to hear all about it.
Write in or use this button to record. We'll update this story to share a few of them.