Humans are “social animals,” so Aristotle said long ago. We gather together to get things done, whether those gatherings are familial, a work conference, religious, or a party. What makes a good gathering work? Are there universal rules that govern gatherings’ format so that you can construct it to achieve a given goal? Yes, says Priya Parker, and this book seeks to show us how.
I help organize biannual academic conferences as a part of my responsibilities as a university employee. Understanding how meetings work and why will help me co-design our conferences better. I’ve never read another book about this topic before, so this book did provoke some thought about how organizing the theater of an event could better bring about intended results like networking and audience engagement.
The information about why we humans meet was not especially enlightening. Although it provided some outlandish examples for meetings, this section did not teach me a lot. What Parker did teach me pertained to the structure of gatherings. For instance, openings of gatherings are supposed to “honor and awe” the audience. This aim optimally engages an audience with the material of the gathering. I’ll have to give some thought about how we can do that better in my projects.
This book is more philosophical than a book of tips. It teaches us how to understand gatherings and to learn from all sorts of gatherings rather than just how to put on the best [insert type of gathering] get-together. That original aspect makes this book more valuable than a generic party-planning book. I’ve never read a book quite like it before. If you’re interested in bringing audiences along for a ride, this book will show you how to do so effectively.
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters
By Priya Parker
Narrated by Bernadette Dunne
Text copyright (c) 2018
Riverhead Books
Audio copyright (c) 2018
Penguin Audio
ASIN B07B4HV9K7
Length: 9:21
Genre: Group dynamics
www.amazon.com