How to Host Your Own Dinner
Hosting these dinners has been incredibly meaningful for us and we'd love for you to bring them to your community.
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Steps to hosting
​Invitation:
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Pick a theme
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Create an invitation (a simple email works) and feel free to link to our site and/or use our copy
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Aim for 7-8 guests (we learned that one from Priya Parker)
Food:​
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We cook the full dinner for ours but feel free to ask attendees to make it potluck style if that's easier for you
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Always check for any allergies
Ambience:​
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Think "intimate"
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Dim lights, candles around, classical music
The Dinner Itself:​
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Re-read the rules of the dinner out loud at the start to encourage psychological safety and vulnerability
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As the host, you don't need to start the conversation and you definitely shouldn't lead it throughout -it's everyone's dinner.
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Embrace the silence
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Open up. The sooner you do, the sooner everyone else will
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And lastly, send us a note. We'd love to hear from you! ourinnerlives@gmail.com
As a reminder....
the dinner rules
1. We follow the Chatham House Rules: "When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed."
2. We aim to create a psychologically safe environment, meaning no one will be judged or made feel that they are judged for any opinions they share even if we aren't all in agreement.
3. We do believe in questioning and challenging one another and yet, if someone says "I don't want to talk about this further", we respect that wish entirely.
4. We encourage you to share how you feel, but understand that feelings can be difficult to address.
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5. In line with the "Jeffersonian Dinners", when we are sitting at the table, we will be having one conversation; we don't intend for smaller groups to break off in side conversation.