Learn How to Plan a Fantastic Party

party-planning

Try this today

• Brainstorm about your favorite type of event. Potluck dinner? Tea for two? Or a hike and a picnic with friends?
• Ask yourself why you want to bring people together — not the obvious reason but something a little deeper.
• Decide on the size of your gathering. Groups of six are conducive to intimacy and high levels of sharing, Parker says. Groups of 12 to 15 are small enough to build trust but large enough for “a certain quotient of mystery and intrigue.” Groups of 30 will feel like a party with “that buzz, that crackle of energy, that sense of possibility that attaches to parties.”
• Decide where you will hold the party. Is it an informal gathering that will center in the kitchen or a more formal dinner party? Is it in your backyard or at a restaurant or a park? Remember that people like to be close together — that’s one reason everyone usually ends up in the kitchen. Don't choose a space that will overwhelm your group.
• Break the planning down into small steps, such as creating an invitation list and figuring out refreshments.
• Make sure to start with your to-do list a least a week in advance. Running yourself ragged the day before and/or the day of your gathering will sap out all the enjoyment for you. 

Why

The thought of entertaining makes many people want to hide in a closet. Sometimes the tasks involved with planning for a party can overwhelm and negate the fun a party can bring. But according to Priya Parker, a group facilitator and author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, there are simple steps to make it easier. Before you even start your to-do list, she says to think carefully about the purpose of getting people together.

 

For example, if you are planning a birthday party, the overarching reason may be to celebrate a birthday, but she recommends going deeper. What is the purpose of the gathering? To mark the year. But why do you really want to get people together? To surround yourself with the people who bring out the best in you? To take a personal risk by inviting friends? To reconnect with siblings? “Having a purpose simply means knowing why you’re gathering and doing your participants the honor of being convened for a reason. And once you have that purpose in mind, you will suddenly find it easier to make all the decisions that a gathering requires,” she writes in her book.

 

Starting with this type of introspective thinking is a great way to solve any problem. If you don’t know the real reason for what you're trying to accomplish — from having a dinner party to switching careers — it will always be harder to find the right solution. “Gatherings crackle and flourish when real thought goes into them, when [often invisible] structure is baked into them, and when a host has the curiosity, willingness and generosity of spirit to try,” Parker writes.