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
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
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
Boost Your Strategic Thinking While Improving Your Memory Of Minutia August 26, 2014 by Jeff Hurt How strategic is your thinking? Do you crave information? Do you believe that more is actually better? Do you desire data, data and more data? If you hunger after more and better ideas at all cost, your info-craving habits actually zap your brain’s energy. The persistent pace of focusing on details makes it more difficult … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning strategies, conference best practices, education best practices, reflective thinking, strategic planning, strategic thinking, thinking
Increase Your Conference Attendee Engagement By Increasing Relevance July 18, 2014 by Jeff Hurt “How can I increase engagement at my conference?” It’s a question I hear a lot. “How can I help my attendees increase their engagement?” What’s my answer? Increase the relevance. Increase the relevance of the content. Increase the relevance of the learning experience. Oh and by the way, what type of engagement are you talking … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult learning strategies, attendee engagement, conference relevance, education best practices, engagement, presentation best practices, speaker selection
Snack Bite-Size Learning Rules The Roost At Conferences April 25, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Blogger Karla Gutierrez gives five reasons why bite-size learning works at Shift’s eLearning blog. Here’s one key point all conference organizers and speakers should know and implement: Chunk Content In 10 Min Sections Bite-size learning as well as bite-size instruction improves an attendee’s psychological engagement. It prevents cognitive overload and mental burnout. It also encourages … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , adult learning, adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, brain science education, Ignite, meeting planning best practices, Pecha Kucha
How To Choose Education Content That Leads to a Treasure of Learners February 11, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Pirates are treasure hunters that don’t always play by the rules. As an association education professional, you too can buck tradition by searching for hidden treasures of content and delivering them to your members. The Pirate Spirit Many of us have negative images of pirates as shipmates that pillage and rob other vessels. Some of … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult education, adult learning strategies, conference curator, content-strategist-curator, context, curate
Six Tips To Create The Conference Introvert Advantage February 3, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Are you an introvert or an extrovert? If you’re an introvert, you’re trendy right now. There is a lot of media buzz about introversion and their inner strengths in a primarily extrovert world. One In Four… At least one in four people tends to listen more than they speak, often feels alone in large groups, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , adult learning strategies, andragogy, conference, conference best practices, conference tips, education best practices
The Art Of Changing The Attendees’ Brain: Conference Style December 3, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Usually our view of conference education is an expert at the front of the room doling out their knowledge through witty repartee. The speaker stands on a stage, behind a podium, towering above the audience as if dispensing expertise from on high. Conference organizers and speakers view the audience as those that need the expert’s … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning strategies, brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices, conference education, conferences, learner-centric, lecture
