Dear Association Executive: You Are Not Providing Education! September 30, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Note: Revised and reposted from a 2011 post. Dear Association Executive: Is education in your organization’s mission statement? If not specifically mentioned, it’s probably in your strategic plan. Isn’t it? If not, it should be! How Much Do You Budget For Education? So let me ask you an important question: If education is in your … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education
Speakers: Covering Content Actually Obscures Understanding September 26, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Education is one way to improve ourselves personally and professionally. Whenever we find ourselves lacking knowledge, understanding or skills for a specific job task, we take a class. Or attend a conference. Or participate in a webinar. Or read a book. Sounds really simple. Right? Well, it’s not. The challenge with most education is our … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , active learning, adult education, adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, covering content, education best practices, Speaker Emerging Practices, speaker tips
Your Conference Needs To Offer Transformational Learning Not Informational Learning September 25, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Which word describes the type of conference education sessions you prefer to attend? Pick one. Informed or transformed? The Best Learning At Conferences For me, I want to be more than just informed. I can be informed by reading information online. I don’t need to travel to a conference to become informed. I prefer a … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning, adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, conference best practices, informational learning, transformation, transformational learning
Why Technology Alone Will Not Move The Needle For Conferences September 16, 2014 by Jeff Hurt I’m a fan of technology. I’m usually an early adopter of the next shiny tech tool for individuals. And I typically try to understand if and how that tech tool may help organizations, learning and conferences. But, and it’s a big, big but: technology alone will not truly move your conference needle. Technology Isn’t Your … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Technology, Experience Design Tagged With: , conference best practices, conference experience, conference technology, conferences
Declining Sponsorship Dollars? Here Is How To Increase The Value! September 12, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Are you whining about declining sponsorship dollars? What are you doing to enhance your relationships with sponsors. And keep them close? Velvet Chainsaw’s VP, Expo/Sponsor Sales & Activation, Donna Kastner, talks with PSAV’s The Intersection on increasing sponsorship value. What are you doing to increase sponsorship value? What challenges do you face with your conference … [Read more…] Filed Under: Sponsorship & Exhibits Tagged With: , conference sponsorship, sponsor leverage, sponsorship best practices
You Must Recruit The Powerhouse Of Your Attendees’ Brains For Real Engagement September 11, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Have you ever had a slap-your-forehead-duh-moment? Without realizing it, you have literally tapped, one of the most important regions of your brain: the prefrontal cortex (PFC). It’s the area directly behind your forehead. The PFC is a powerhouse region of your brain. It controls whether your attendees are engaged at your event. You need to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices
Time To Face This Ironic Truth: We Do Not Learn From Experience September 10, 2014 by Jeff Hurt There, I said it. People do not learn from experience. You may think you learn from experience but… People only learn from reflecting on their experience. That’s the point author, facilitator and educator Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagarajan drives home in his writings and workshops. The Key To Learning From An Experience If people learn from experience, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning, adult learning principles, debriefing, education best practices, presentation strategies, reflection, reflective thinking, Speaker Emerging Practices
Practicing Strategic Thinking To Strengthen Intellectual Capacity September 5, 2014 by Jeff Hurt It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that. ~ The Red Queen, Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass Strengthening Strategic Thinking Muscles Becoming a strategic thinker is not as difficult as it … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , reflective thinking, strategic planning, strategic thinking, thinking
Attendee Experience The Next Frontier For Differentiation September 4, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Most conference experiences are very similar. They have similar schedules, receptions, general sessions, breakouts, exhibit halls, lecture-style education offerings, quality and price. They all look and feel alike. Too many conferences are on the verge of commoditization. One of the conference’s main offering—delivery of information disguised as education—is so widely available and mutually interchangeable with … [Read more…] Filed Under: Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee experience, conference best practices, conference experience, emotional experience, event experience, experience economy
Confusion And Brain Strain Are Freakish Factors Required To Learn September 2, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Whenever possible the brain operates on autopilot. That’s why for example you can fold laundry while having a conversation. Your brain goes on autopilot to fold clothes so you can focus your thinking on the conversation. When you do something over and over again, your brain picks up the pattern and reverts to autopilot. This … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, collaborative learning, presentation best practices, speaker tips
