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Step 1
Make it enticing to attend by only serving your family's favorite meal or dessert when you hold a family meeting. Also have a game on hand that the kids love to play as a fun post-meeting activity.
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Step 2
Insist that everyone leaves cell phones, music players, portable video games and pagers in another room so they aren't tempted to check them. Remind anyone who protests that the meeting will be over faster with no interruptions.
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Step 3
Wake up a half hour earlier rather than have the meeting past the kids' bedtimes if those are the only two options because of your busy schedules. It's better to have everyone a little sleepy than cranky and exhausted after a long day. As a bonus, the adults won't be dwelling on the events of the day and may be motivated to get issues resolved before breakfast.
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Step 4
Keep the meeting moving by preventing people from talking over one another. Designate an object like the television remote, a wood block or pepper mill as the "talking item" and only allow the person holding it to be the one to speak.
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Step 5
Try not to schedule meetings during events that will split someone's focus. If you ask a diehard football fan to attend a meeting while his favorite team is playing in the Superbowl, for example, he may not be able to give each issue the attention it deserves.
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Step 6
Take turns giving up activities to make time for regular family meetings if you all have busy schedules. This way, no one will be able to grumble about being the only person to sacrifice free time.
