How to Hold a Family Meeting
Being part of a family means laughing together, crying together, fighting and making up, celebrating each other’s success and lending each other support unconditionally. It is indeed one of the greatest joys known to mankind.
There are times when a family needs to sit down and talk with each other over a certain issue, which may range from resolving a conflict to making a huge group decision or planning an upcoming event. In such instances, a family meeting is held, with the attendance of every member necessary to reach a decision through consensus. An effective family meeting can prevent conflicts from arising in the future.
In order to hold a family meeting, there are certain things that one must keep in mind.
Instructions
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1
The first thing that you need to do is to ensure that everybody is onboard for the family meeting. Get everyone together and tell them that you are scheduling a family meeting in order to discuss a certain issue. Tell them about the issue so that they are mentally prepared to make a contribution to it. Tell them the time at which you wish to hold the meeting and ask them if they are okay with the timing. If any family member has another commitment at that time, reschedule the meeting in order to accommodate them. Remember, the idea is to have every single member present at the meeting.
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2
Plan an enticing menu in order to get the family members interested in showing up at the meeting. Make sure you get the necessary ingredients and cook or order everything in time.
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3
Instead of scheduling the meeting late at night, it is best to select a more appropriate time, one that would seem convenient to all the family members. You do not want half the attendees to be struggling to keep their eyes open, let alone grasping whatever is being discussed.
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4
Once the meeting starts, start talking about the issue. Explain everything, leaving out no detail. Once you are done talking, let others talk as well. Ensure that people stick to the issue. Also make sure that people do not cut each other off. Tell everyone that they will get a turn to talk. Bring a stick to the meeting and term it the talking stick. Only the person with the talking stick in their hand will be allowed to speak.
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5
Make sure a pen and paper or laptop is present at the meeting to note down the end result of the discussion. It is just a precaution, in case a conflict over the final decision arises in the future.
