Want to have a micro-meeting?
"Maria mentioned she really liked the micro-meeting," Veronica said to her husband, Marco.
"Like the rest of the kids, she found that having just one topic allowed her to focus and contribute better." The couple concluded their first micro-meeting was a success.
"It's ironic," Marco replied.
"We had been trying to have a big family meeting for some time." "It's been two years," responded Veronica playfully.
"You didn't think I was trying hard enough," he said with a smile.
"And I know you want to make sure we don't end up like families where the kids don't know anything about what's being planned." "I was actually surprised when I realized how much I struggle with involving the kids in our planning," Marco added.
The Later-in-Life Conversations Study found that while 98% of the senior generation report they are willing to talk with their children about later-in-life topics, only 17% are actively talking to them about their most relevant topics.
Breaking complex topics into smaller parts helps everyone feel less intimidated and know how to engage.
So what is a micro-meeting?
It is a way to focus your family meetings-one hour, one topic.
It is a strategy for incrementally helping family members become more aware of your planning when you may not feel ready to talk about everything.
Micro-meetings can help you and your family: You can co-create a continuing agenda of topics for micro-meetings to keep the process moving.
Marco and Veronica had their first family micro-meeting on video from 8 p.m.
to 9 p.m., after the grandkids were in bed.
The topic was how they might plan to help the grandkids with education.
It sounded like an easy topic, but Marco and Veronica weren't sure what other financial needs their kids might have.
It was a great conversation about the couple's educational values and how their children were thinking about their own finances and planning.
When it was over, everyone asked when the next meeting was going to be.
By setting conversational boundaries for micro-meetings, you can overcome resistance and help everyone know how to engage.
Get started Use the Voice-Vote conversation cue to set a conversational boundary: "This is a 'voice' meeting to get your thinking, but we are not voting on a decision." Senior generation When you focus a conversation on seeking voice, everyone can be more curious and ask questions without worrying about having to agree.
Next generation When you are invited to share your thinking on a topic, don't escalate the intensity and try to convince people to agree with you.