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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of IHeart Radio.

Good morning. This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is that when you are making a plan with other people, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is that when you are making a plan with other people, offer multiple pathways for being part of it.

If you do, you are more likely to settle on a plan that works well for everyone.

I recently heard about a volunteer team debriefing about a reception they had hosted,

where fewer families than hoped provided food.

One volunteer asked whether next time maybe they could offer the opportunity to contribute money instead of food.

That would serve the same purpose of keeping the organization from having to buy food,

and contributing cash instead of food might be a welcome option for people who are time-constrained.

Then another volunteer suggested that an additional way to participate

could be for a volunteer to take that donated money and buy food with it.

A brilliant idea, since some people have more spare time than money.

In so many contexts, more people can participate when you offer multiple pathways.

If you invite friends for dinner and they ask what they could bring, you could suggest they bring an appetizer or drink,

or you could suggest they bring a music playlist, or a great story. Then they can choose what works for them and whatever they bring

will contribute to a great evening. If you want to meet up with a friend, you could suggest a

before work walk, a weekday lunch, or a cookout with your families on the weekend. Then, hopefully,

at least one of those options, will work well for her. If you are negotiating with a potential

employer about a job, you could consider not just compensation but also location. How many days are you in the office each week?

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