At the launch of every new Forum, a great debate erupts as to what the group should name their Forum. Surprisingly, picking a name tends to be one of the most discussed parts of a Forum launch. So how do you pick a name?
- Meaningful – Often times a good name for a group comes out organically based on some sort of inside joke or experience of the group. For example, one group I trained had an amazing first dinner together and their waiter kept saying his name was Jake and that they were sitting at Jake’s Table, so the group decided to name themselves Jake’s Table.
- Easy – Don’t create a name that no one can say, spell, or has a meaning that is so complicated that no one in the group gets. Keep it simple.
- It Doesn’t Matter – In the grand scheme of things, your name is really only used internally with each other. It’s a way to bond the group together. Even though my Forum is called “Level 5,” I don’t tell people, “I’m going to my Level 5 meeting now.” Instead I say, “I’m going to my business group meeting now.”
- It Can Change – While it’s ideal that Forum members stay together for a long time, life happens and so does Forum membership. Which a change in membership, so to might the name change.
To help get your creative juices flowing, here are some names of Forums both from history, ones I’ve been a part of, and ones I’ve trained:
- The Vagabonds: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren G. Harding, Harvey Firestone
- The Chicago 6: William Hertz and Charles Wrigley and others
- TCBS/The Inklings: CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield
- The Junto: Benjamin Franklin and others
- Level 5
- The Committed
- Jake’s Table
- 110%
- GRIT
- Forum 9
- Eunoe