Training Spaces: Priya Parker

The first thing I'll say about Priya Parker's website is that it's a joy to explore. Beautiful colors. Smart featured posts. A variety of ways to connect and learn from her work (free newsletter, book, online course, etc.).

The second thing I'll say is that she is at the end of the sharing spectrum where you can expect a new post just every month or two, but you can also expect it to be really good. So if you subscribe, don't be surprised if she's not exactly blowing up your inbox. Which I'm sure is intentional and part of a "less is more" strategy.

Her most recent post, "Meetings are now your culture carriers," captures so well what it's like to try to nurture connections in the era of hybrid everything.

Here's a little anecdote illustrating small ways to connect online and onsite audiences:

As soon as people in the room started sharing, you could feel the energy of the in-person group build. Then suddenly, the two people looking at the Zoom chat on their laptops burst out laughing. I stood and said to the room, “Pause. What are you seeing?” They started shouting out what was coming in through the chat. “Billy Joel! Tina Turner! Neil Diamond!” People in the room started laughing. “New Kids on the Block!” And then people in the room started to react: “Oh my god, that was my first concert, too!” “Janet Jackson! The Backstreet Boys!” You could hear the laughter and recognition spread across the room.

When you host a hybrid gathering, you’re actually hosting three gatherings: a virtual gathering, an in-person gathering, and the choice to connect the two. By reading the answers from the Zoom, we had just activated that connection.

If you've ever been to a church that really gets this right (I regularly supply at one), you surely noticed immediately what a difference it makes for both groups and their sense of mutual belonging.

This is what you can expect from Parker, and why I love her free resources so much: small, manageable, actionable principles illustrated in such a way that it's abundantly clear that she practices what she preaches and is sharing from a place of deep experience and reflection. (I am, on the whole, not a very skeptical person, but I am mercilessly intolerant of phony advice not grounded in any kind of personal practice.)

If you lead gatherings or oversee community, you'll benefit from Parker's thoughtful tutelage.