Art of Gathering

Being deprived of social gatherings revealed just how important they are; to connect with others, collaborate, share ideas and create moving, life-affirming experiences.If there's one thing lockdown showed us, it's that time together is a gift we've too often taken for granted.In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker shows us how to ensure that however we meet, it's a truly transformative experience. An expert on organizing successful gatherings whether in conference centres, crisis zones or her living room, Parker sets forth a human-centred approach to gathering that can help us create meaningful, memorable moments - large and small, for work and play.The result is a book full of exciting real-world ideas that will forever alter the way you look at your next business meeting, dinner party and garden barbecue.'Hosts of all kinds, this is a must-read!' Chris Anderson, creator of TED'Priya Parker has created both an art and a science to gathering in ways that can bring joy and fulfilment to any meeting' Deepak Chopra'A long overdue and urgent manifesto' Seth Godin, New York Times bestselling author of This is Marketing

[A] remarkable new book about how we spend our time together, at work, at home, and beyond. If you want to get more out of every event, whether it's with your boss and co-workers or friends and family, The Art of Gathering can help, [A] fantastic book . . . . Good things happen when people connect. Especially when we follow Priya's sage advice, Enthusiastically delivered formulas for better get-togethers... useful to those whose job it is to plan meetings, conferences, and the like and a worthy survival manual for consumers of the same, This clear and engaging book sets down many things you thought you knew, until you find yourself remembering that you did not attend to its simple rules at the last significant event you hosted.... A passion for successful encounters enlivens every page, A brilliant and eminently practical guide! The Art of Gathering will open your eyes to just how often we gather - and how we can turn those mundane events into dazzling opportunities for meaning, dreaming, and doing. This book should be mandatory reading for everyone from the business executive to the community activist, the conflict resolution specialist to the dinner host. Concrete advice that will forever change the way you gather

Priya Parker is a strategic facilitator with a background in conflict-resolution. Her company Thrive Labs has worked with organizations as varied as MoMA, the World Economic Forum and the International Finance Corporation on strategy, vision and purpose. Parker was a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council in 2013 and a member on the New Models of Leadership's Council on Values. Her TedxHasselt has been viewed over 900,000 times and she has been covered by CNN.com, Harvard Kennedy School Review, NPR's Morning Edition, Inc. magazine, Entrepreneur magazine and Forbes.