Making Meetings Stick

A few simple rules protect the meeting and keep it from sliding into chaos:

• Everyone speaks, no one dominates
• Complaints must come with a solution suggestion
• Ties go to a one-week trial before anyone overrules
• What is said in the meeting stays in the meeting

The hidden payoff is bigger than any single decision: meetings teach democratic problem-solving. A child who learns to negotiate at the family table becomes an adult who can handle workplace conflict and partnership disagreements. And if it ever starts feeling like a chore, add food — pizza meeting night, pancake meeting morning.