It’s a very dangerous assumption. We assume that if our speakers are talking, our attendees must be learning. We equate telling from the stage with audience education. Telling does not equal learning. We’ve placed a value on experts talking instead of a value on attendees’ learning. It’s backwards thinking and it’s one of our conference’s … [Read more…]
Your conference planning team has bought in to the idea that their traditional conference model needs to change. They’ve even agreed to some of the unique changes that should happen. Now you have to convince your leadership including the C-Suite, possibly the Board of Directors, and others, that these changes are the right move to … [Read more…]
Some conferences have begun to make the transition from passive listening experiences to active participatory education sessions. Participatory conference education is moving from a buzzword to a normal practice. And ultimately, attendees benefit greatly from the change. Some conference organizers have discovered that this transition requires more work than the traditional model of sit-‘n-get lectures … [Read more…]
Your conference is spreading the cult of myths, traditions and rituals. How so? What do you mean? You ask. Providing conference education is not as intuitive as it seems! Science shows that there is a right way and a wrong way to design, deliver and implement conference education. Unfortunately, most conferences ignore the science. Instead, … [Read more…]
In today’s high-tech, information-at-your-thumbs world, education models have shifted. Our conference participants now have the capacity and cultural motivation to produce their own knowledge. They experience overwhelmingly support for creating and sharing information and connections in their daily lives. We continue to witness the rise of the participatory culture as Henry Jenkins describes it. These … [Read more…]
It’s past time for conference organizers to learn about learning! Our conference success depends upon it. We’ve got to stop saying that it is someone else’s job to manage the content, programming and the attendee experience of the conference. That all we do is work on the logistics of the conference. If we want to … [Read more…]
More powerful than your current offerings. More effective than your current industrial-strength-stupid monologues and ineffective-panel-methods. These trends are poised to give you the upper hand and differentiate you from your competitors or send your conference committee suggestions into a downward spiral that will take years to recover from. Take heed. These trends will be knocking … [Read more…]
They are unusually strong and potent. They are more durable than your current conference education strategies. And they are highly-concentrated ready to improve your attendees’ learning ROI. That is assuming that you are open to understanding, adopting and applying them. The choice is yours. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is convincing your … [Read more…]
All conference education has a dirty little secret. And it’s bigger and dirtier than most. The big skeleton in the conference closet is that most attendees will forget the majority of what they hear during the event. The current design of the education session sabotages your learning and retention. Let’s Waste The Company’s Money No … [Read more…]
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…]
