It feels like fall just started, but November’s Have the Talk of a Lifetime Month is already here.

The Have the Talk of a Lifetime program is sponsored by the Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FAMIC). The program helps families learn more about each other’s end-of-life wishes and how they want to be remembered.

The Have the Talk of a Lifetime cards are a fun way for families to learn more about each other. The cards have a variety of questions, and families can sit down together to answer them.

Your funeral home can help families start the conversation by hosting events for Have the Talk of a Lifetime Month. It gives families a comforting and engaging environment to have these meaningful conversations.

Have the Talk of a Lifetime Month Event Ideas

One idea is to have your funeral home’s events center around the Have the Talk of a Lifetime cards.

For example, at this year’s NFDA Convention, presenters Mike Watkins and Theresa Wiederspahn discussed some ideas in their workshop 50 Cards, 50 Questions. They shared the example of a Wisconsin funeral home that hosted a wine, beer, and cheese event. Families enjoyed a bite to eat and drink while they sat down with the cards to answer the questions and learn more about each other.

Some other event ideas for the cards are having a campfire-style event with the cards and s’mores, or you can host a luncheon where families eat together and answer the questions. There’s even a deck of Have the Talk of a Lifetime cards made specifically for children.

Another event idea is to host hands-on workshops for starting the preplanning conversation, such as:

• Creating In Case of Emergency (ICE) books.
• Designing Pinterest boards filled with funeral inspiration.
• Adding emergency information to your smartphone.
• Inviting a speaker to lead an interactive conversation.
• Filling out questionnaires about how you want to be remembered.

Organizations You Can Partner With

Partnering with organizations for your events can help you gain more attendance and save you time. Churches, hospice centers, assisted living facilities, and hospitals all make great partners for a Have the Talk of a Lifetime event. You can hold the event at their location, your funeral home, a community center, or a local park. Check out this article for more partner ideas!

How It Helps Your Families

Having the talk helps families break the ice on important topics and start those difficult conversations that we need to have. It’s a great way to learn more about each other and how everyone wants to be remembered. You can learn things that you didn’t know about your family member such as memories from their childhood. By getting to know each other better, you can learn how to best honor their life.

Is your funeral home hosting any events for Have the Talk of a Lifetime Month? Share them with us in the comments!