Such a great book about all sorts of gatherings--corporate meetings, dinner parties, book clubs. I learned a lot and this book has already affected how I think about my meetings, book clubs, dinner parties, and even classroom dynamics.

If anyone is familiar with 'The Good Place', it honestly feels like Tahani wrote this in an unironic way.

How to Win Friends and Gather PeopleEveryone needs this book! Whether you’re hosting a birthday party, a major business conference or just looking to improve people skills, these guiding theories on gathering are essential.Priya understands the magic that happens when people get together for a purpose, and she also understands how miserable it can be without proper planning. Her examples are vast and eye-opening, and she presents her theories with humor and grace.I rarely read non-fiction, and w...

Transformative. Ha. But I’m serious. This book reframes the way I think about gathering people and hosting events. My key lessons:1. Chill is overrated: meaningful events require structure and direction 2. Open and close with purpose— set the stage and allow guests to reflect in the event itself 3. More is not necessarily merrier, be selective and scrutinizing with the people you invite My only beef might be with the writing, but it’s definitely made up for by the content

Marginally better than a similar book I read recently titled Belong by Radha Agrawal. As a professional meeting facilitator, Priya Parker has real experience in creating meaningful gatherings and goes through many examples in the book. The tips I took away have to do with defining a clear purpose for your event, being an intentional host, inviting vulnerability in your guests through priming them prior to the event, and establishing specific rituals around welcoming and saying goodbye to guests....

This is the most important book I have ever read. It has transformed the way I think about what has to go into creating meaningful and impactful experiences out of every meeting amongst friends, lovers, business acquaintances, and overall, what it really takes to build movements. This book reframed the lens through which I look at life, from my interactions in and contributions to groups, to my role in building communities that last. I'm going to have to reread this a few times and will spend a

most books on “people skills” revolve around self-promotion: how to be liked, how to mitigate anxiety, etc. i never realized how much we’ve lacked advice for making others feel comfortable, engaged, and authentic in social and business gatherings. this book guides readers through exactly that.

This is probably going to be a book I revisit; I found the lessons pretty invaluable. It reframed gathering for me- whether for a casual dinner, a work meeting, or an event you're hosting. There's an importance of individuals coming together, whether to enjoy life or to create something, that is often lost because we get so used to the routine of meeting for work or for fun. The Art of Gathering is fresh air that can breathe life back into the experience. Another thing that I loved about this bo...

This book tested my resolve to complete every book I begin. Part of the problem was the title lead me to believe it was going to be about the social aspects of how individual meet and become couples. Instead it is about how to plan dinner parties and corporate meetings. So OK, I'm interested in a far-reaching spectrum of topics so I'll give it a try. However, I think the author was more interested in name-dropping than imparting knowledge. She also has a habit of stating a rule then going on to

I love how practical this book was. My idea of hosting usually involves providing more food than my guests could possibly eat...a carryover from working with teenage volunteers on a weekly basis. But this book's challenge to think about the purpose of gathering really struck a cord. I want to host a dinner party! (Never mind that I still don't own a kitchen table...or couch...or chairs...) Absolutely coming back to this one.

I was looking for some tips on better hosting, and found an unexpected critique of modern corporate and non-corporate culture, with useful tips to boot. This book made me realize that:- We meet - for weddings and business meetings alike - using obsolete formats developed in other times, for other customs and needs.- Space determines the flow and energy of the meeting and how people respond during the said meeting.- It is a good idea to host a multi-phase meeting in several areas, as people will

I learnt about this book from Debbie Milman's podcast "Design Matters", where Priya shared many details about her work in conflict resolution, facilitation, provided the background for the book, her writing process, etc. I absolutely enjoyed the podcast, but as a result, I thought the anecdotes in the book were repetitive of the interview, and had I not listened to the podcast, I would have enjoyed the book more.

The Art of Gathering is a fresh, fascinating look at how to hold gatherings (from meetings to weddings) that are memorable and worthwhile. Her steps will help you decide the purpose, invitation list, and order of events for your gathering. I particularly liked the way the author encourages hosts to be more bold in their control of gatherings. That’s a novel bit of advice, and the author is quite compelling in her presentation of it. I find myself quite eager to try this method out!

fascinating and thought provoking not just for people who organize conferences and meetings, but also just regular people who want to have more than lackluster dinner parties or family gatherings. ranted about this to 3 people already and can't wait to apply these principles to my next gathering.

This book was one of the most utter nonsense I have read for a long time. I fell for the title, thinking that the book will present some expert analysis of how human beings interact in social settings, instead, it was a mechanical, boring, mundane, and complete bullshit recipe for event planners. The only reason that I kept reading this book and ultimately finished it was my fascination in just how much a social gathering can become awkward and boring by following the rules offered by this book....

Ok ya’ll I have to be honest, I struggled with this book. When it started I thought it was super privileged and pretentious. But I ended it teary eyed and yearning for all the gatherings I partake in to be this meaningful. It was there, just took me a while to get there. I will say as much as I ended up enjoying it, I think what kept me from enjoying it at first was the writing and story-telling. I think the stories could have been played into more - spent more time with the stories to articulat...

The first step to bringing together people in a meaningful way is committing to a bold, sharp purposeOpportunity for your gathering to be a source of growth, support, guidance, and inspirationYour reason for gathering should take a stand, it can’t be everything for everyoneSpecificity matters in gatheringsUse thoughtful exclusionIn attempting not to offend anyone, you compromise the entire gathering6 people: conducive to intimacy, high levels of sharing and storytelling; not ideal for diverse vi...

This book is a must read. For everyone. From dinner parties and staff meetings to holiday gatherings and funerals, we all spend so much time at "gatherings" that are organized by someone. Priya Parker points out that surprisingly little thought is given to the structure of gatherings. Because of that, many of us spend inordinate amounts of time in boring time wasters that are often tedious and quite forgettable.This book changes how to think about the purpose of gatherings - absolutely all gathe...