Are Your Speakers Speaking to Speakers? June 4, 2019 by Dave Lutz I wonder about the future of peer review for conference abstracts. While it is a critical filter for high-quality journals, it is a very inefficient process for accelerating innovation and discovery at conferences. Many healthcare and STEM conference business models are heavily dependent on participants who are able to justify their attendance in part because … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education
What True Learning Is at Participant-Centered Conferences March 7, 2019 by Dave Lutz Putting the participant at the center of your conference programming by becoming more learner-centric, that is planning and offering education sessions that go beyond surface learning, is one of the biggest challenges facing conference organizers today. You need to enable participants to find meaningful and mentally stimulating experiences. The knowledge gap between the stage and … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , knowledge gap, learner-centric, learning process, participant-centric, speaker-centric
The Tension Between Content And Process In Facilitated Conference Learning Experiences January 4, 2019 by Jeff Hurt Have you ever attended a conference education session because of the presenter and not the content? (I think most of us have.) Have you ever been surprised when a full day workshop ended? You were so engaged that time flew by without you realizing it. If you’ve had these types of experiences, you’ve witnessed firsthand … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active learning, conference education, content, facilitated learning experiences, facilitator, learning, passive listening, process
Lather Up Curiosity, Rinse, Repeat! May 16, 2018 by Jeff Hurt Children are curious creatures. They explore, question and wonder, often through play. In this context, they learn. We are naturally inclined to learn new things; thus reaping curiosity’s benefits. From the moment we are born until we die, learning is hardwired into our brains. As adults, our challenge is to embrace curiosity instead of viewing … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , constrained curiosity, curiosity, curiosity cycle, curiosity's benefits, curious, discover, explore, questioning, right answers, search for solutions
How Do We Know Curiosity Killed The Cat? (Allegedly.) May 14, 2018 by Jeff Hurt Curiosity allegedly killed the cat. How do we know curiosity killed that cat? Were there any eyewitnesses to that crime? Did anyone hear strange cat calls? Did you see what curiosity was wearing? Do you know any reason why curiosity wanted to kill the cat? Were curiosity and the cat family, friends, enemies, frenemies, or … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , curiosity, curiosity allegedly killed the cat, curiosity killed the cat, curious, discover, explore, questioning, right answers, search for solutions, start with questions
Conferences Need More Sharing April 26, 2018 by Dave Lutz One of the strongest intangible attributes of a healthy conference is how much sharing takes place. Too often, competition and self-interest get in the way of sharing what’s most helpful. Professions that deliver conference sessions with a high level of sharing – not diluted or generalized from the stage – are often in fields linked … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Conference Networking Tagged With: , interactivity, networking, participatory learning, small-group conversations, speaker coaching
Shifting from Delivery to Discovery Conference Education March 22, 2018 by Dave Lutz So much of our commonplace practices and conventional wisdom about learning is wrong. Educators have been talking about Bloom’s Taxonomy, critical-thinking skills, executive functions of the brain and HOTS — higher-order thinking skills — for more than five decades. However, those foundational learning principles have not transferred to most adult education experiences. Conference organizers still … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , 21st century conferences, Bloom's Taxonomy, cognitive learning, critical-thinking skills, discovery learning, executive brain function
Association Messy, Convoluted Conundrums With Compliance Issues In Learning Offerings August 1, 2017 by Jeff Hurt Do you ever feel caught between a rock and a hard place regarding your association’s education programming? For years, you’ve offered education to your constituents to meet industry or profession CE requirements. You’ve kept detailed data on content alignment with obligations, program and speaker approvals from governing boards, attendance, test scores and customer certification status. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , association education, certification, CEs, CEUs, competency, compliance, Continuing Education, CPE, designation, proficiency, standards
How to Improve Your Call for Presentations Process April 12, 2017 by Dave Lutz When Velvet Chainsaw Consulting conducted speaker research with 120 associations with research and consulting company Tagoras Inc. in 2013, we found that nearly 77 percent use a call for speakers/sessions process. Associations value member input. One-third of these organizations accept 60 percent or more of the proposals, indicating either a low number of submissions or … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning, adult learning principles, call for presentations, conference best practices, Education & Adult Learning, presentation strategies, speaker practices
Mental Effort February 17, 2017 by Dave Lutz I’ve been in this industry longer than I like to admit, during which time I’ve had the privilege to work side by side with some of the most progressive professionals in the conference business. To my mind, there are two things that separate the good from the great: 1) those who are uber-connected and trusted … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning, life long learning
