Every day, I’m surprised at new resources I find on the Minnesotans United for all Families web site. Today, I discovered a PDF document that provides 13 tips on how to have a conversation about marriage with friends, family and coworkers. It’s even split up into helpful sections (before starting, what to do, after the conversation) and includes some example starters.

Even if you’ve already been having conversations, some of the tips provided here can still be quite beneficial (Tip 5: Make sure you check in with yourself before speaking). Also, if you have friends who may not yet be comfortable speaking about this topic, consider printing this tip sheet and sharing it with them. Even though it can be uncomfortable, we need everyone out there talking.

And remember, as Tip 11, thank them for the conversation, regardless of the outcome. The goal is to start the dialogue, and by having the conversation, you are doing just that.

PS- I would personally add one more tip to this sheet.

Tip 14: Ask them to take action. If you find that the person is supportive and you have a good conversation, ask them to take action. You could ask them to vote NO in NOvember or even to have the conversation with their own friends. It’s ok not to ask the person to take action immediately. You can do this in a follow-up conversation as well.

“Remember that conversation we had last week back about Brad and LouAnne and marriage? Well, that whole conversation is going to come up again and again over the next couple months because our state is going to vote on this very topic in NOvember. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate the conversation and how important it will be for us to vote NO. Like you said, why does it matter who another person loves…”