“Family meeting” can often sound ominous and can be met with the kids’ eye rolls and disgruntled mumbles. However, getting together as a family to discuss important issues or just check-in can be the difference between an unhappy home life and a blended unit.
Keep reading for our tips on how to run a successful family meeting.
Running A Successful Family Meeting
Instead of seeing meetings negatively, try viewing them as opportunities to discuss critical issues within your family. You could establish a particular theme or open the agenda to discuss various topics.
Whatever the reason, you need the plan to succeed before bringing everyone together. Here are some key points to keep in mind:
1. Consider Having A Third-Party Facilitator
Setting aside personal feelings when hosting a family meeting can be challenging. Emotions can run high, and being objective can be challenging. Bringing in a third party to facilitate the meeting is a great way to stick to the agenda and give everyone a fair say.
2. Take Notes
Assign someone to take notes so you can remember what was discussed and keep track of any action items and decisions made. This will keep you all on track and working toward the same goals.
3. Meet Regularly
Having regular meetings also allows you to get good at discussing the following as a family:
- Core family values
- Feelings
- Challenges
- Upcoming events
- Any grievances
Successful family meetings allow for time to show appreciation for one another and reflect on challenges together.
Schedule Your Own Family Meeting
If you’re interested in starting to hold family meetings, start discussing the idea with your family beforehand to get them comfortable with the idea. This goes a long way toward having everyone on board and opens this more formal meeting.
Schedule the time and place that works best for your unique situation. This will disarm anyone who has reservations about the process and make you feel the most comfortable. In addition, you know your family best.
Lastly, set realistic expectations. As the organiser, you may have a specific goal in mind that you want to accomplish. However, other people’s feelings and emotions can affect the direction of a conversation or decision, and it’s important to be ok with that shift should it happen.
The bottom line is that a successful family meeting helps you and your loved ones grow closer together and make decisions that benefit all of you. You can grow stronger together with love, good planning, and honest communication.
