Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of IHeart Radio.

Good morning. This is Laura.

Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

Today's tip is to plant an invitation for an engaging activity.

This tip comes from author and gatherings expert Priya Parker.

In a recent piece, she described how everyone enjoys time at her friend Heidi's house.

As Parker put it,

Heidi leaves tiny, non-verbal invitations all over her house for her guests

to discover.

There might be a backgammon board out of the case placed on a coffee table.

A pile of books to flip through.

Stacked in a window nook.

A kid-sized table with a cup of markers and two pieces of white paper left out.

A big jump rope in the backyard.

Parker continues,

Each is a pro-social nudge to connect and engage, often in smaller pairs,

in ways that tend to lead people through side doors into unexpected conversations.

Doesn't that sound nice?

There is delight in spotting a possible activity, like an Easter egg waiting for you to find it.

As Parker notes, invitations like these may be especially appreciated by introverts,

who may prefer what she calls small play over small talk.

Planting invitations is great for parties,

...