Conference Education


Are You Prepared To Lead Your Organization Into The Future?

Many organizations continue to view the future as a linear progression from the past. Their leadership thinks they can predict what happens next. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Myth Of Organizational Linear Progression Authors Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd discuss why this belief is fiction in their book The 2020 Workplace: … [Read more…]

Seven Tips To Jump-Start Your Creativity

I consider myself fairly creative. I am not more creative than you. I’ve just spent a lot of time practicing creativity. And I’ve surrounded myself with people who constantly encourage me that I can be creative. It helps that my parents, family and teachers always encouraged me that I was creative. Believing that inner voice … [Read more…]

Demystifying The Creative Process

Remember kindergarten when we used to play with finger paints, watercolors, crayons, chalk, colored pencils, markers and other fun things. We’d paint with great abandon not worried about what anyone would think about our pictures. And we’d have fun. Our teachers would hang everyone’s art on the bulletin board. They would ask us, “Tell us … [Read more…]

Are You A Right-Brained Creative?

Where does creativity come from? No, it doesn’t come from the strike of lightning bolt or a handful of hallucinogenic drugs. Although the movie Gothic depicting English Romantic poets Mary Shelley and Lord Byron taking drugs on a rooftop in the midst of a thunderstorm might lead you to think so. Dramatic, yes! And far … [Read more…]

Dear Association Executive, That Is Not Education!

Dear Association Executive: Education is in your mission statement, right? If not, it’s probably in your strategic plan. Isn’t it? (If not, it should be!) How Much? So let me ask you an important question: If education is in your mission or strategic plan, how much of your budget is dedicated to educating your members? … [Read more…]

We Are All Visual Learners

How much do you learn from your sight? Most scientists agree that about 75% of your learning occurs through your vision. Looking To Learn Consider infants. They pick up behavior traits by observing people around them. They process and interpret facial expressions and gestures. From a quick glance, they can tell if their parents are … [Read more…]

Creating An Unforgettable Event: Unlocking Memory By Unleashing The Power Of Thinking

You are what you eat. What you see is what you get. These idioms are familiar to most of us. Here’s a simple truth: What you think about is what you remember! The implication for your conferences, events and meetings are substantial. Our Memory Is Like A Video Recorder? Not! Many meeting professionals and conference … [Read more…]

Get On The Brain Train Before It Leaves The Station

Attendees spend about 24 hours physically present in a three-day conference experience. (About eight hours a day, outside of sleep and night activities.) Students who attend school from kindergarten through high school typically spend more than 13,000 hours learning from teachers. 24 hours seem minimal as compared to 13,000 hours. Yet, most conference participants try … [Read more…]

Participatory Conferences And Events: Participatory Design Or Design For Participation?

Here’s a test. Pick which statement best defines a participatory conference. A. Conference organizers invite prospective attendees to participate in the development, design and planning of a conference experience. B. Conference organizers design a conference experience using an intentional internal design process however once the conference begins, it invites attendees to contribute, participate and interact. … [Read more…]

Are You Corrupting Your Education Sessions?

Less is more. Too much, too fast, it won’t last. That’s a favorite adage used by some educators. The underlying concept is that you can present more and faster. But your listeners will simply forget more and faster! Overloading The Mind Organizations and conference planners are often pressured to offer more presentations and content. More, … [Read more…]