Tag: adult learning


What Really Happens When We Listen To A Lecture

The ubiquitous lecture. On any given day thousands of lectures occur across the globe. People gather in arenas, board rooms, city halls, colleges and universities, conferences, conference rooms, churches, general sessions, libraries, meeting rooms, schools and theaters to hear lectures. It is the most common method used when teaching adults. Unfortunately, it is also ineffective … [Read more…]

Avoiding Zombie Zeitgeist: How Passive Listening Undermines Learning

The walking dead! We see them at every conference we attend. Eyes glazed over. Faces void of emotion. Weird body twitches from sitting in one position too long. Aimlessly walking the same direction to the next session. Grunts and groans as they salivate for something they will not get–relevant, meaningful information, relationship building activities and … [Read more…]

Looking To Learn: Why Visuals Are So Important

How much do you learn from your sight? Take a guess. The majority of scientific and education researchers agree that about 75 percent of your learning is through your vision. Wow, that’s a lot. According to neuroscientist Dr. John Medina, “The more visual the input becomes, the more likely it is to be recognized and … [Read more…]

From Panic To Calm: Strategies To Help Presenters Leverage Adult Learning Principles

You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain! ~ Jerry Lee Lewis This is how many speakers feel when they are asked to adopt good adult learning principles in their presentations. Their heart beat races as their fear increases. Making Presentations Stick Applying good adult learning principles is actually easier than you think. The … [Read more…]

Four Ways To Get Your Conference Education Out Of A Rut

Ruts. We all have them. A rut is a settled or established habit or course of action, especially a boring one. It is usually a boring, predictable, stale routine. So, is your conference education stuck in a rut? Have you created predictable tracks and paths? If you’re like most meeting professionals, you start planning for … [Read more…]

Preventing Death By Lecture Through Audience Discussion

Many people believe that PowerPoint (PPT) presentations are a leading killer of learning. We even call it “Death by PPT.” Actually, the typical 45-, 60- or 90-minute speech has a higher mortality rate than PPT. And that speech may actually be a fugitive living under an assumed name like keynote, lecture, breakout, plenary, concurrent or … [Read more…]

10 Brain-Based Learning Laws That Trump Traditional Education

If you play cards you know the importance of a trump. A trump is a card which ranks higher than the played cards. A trump suit outranks all cards of plain suits. Literally, a trump refers to any sort of action, authority or policy that automatically prevails over others. The Brain’s Natural Learning Trumps The … [Read more…]

Creating Compelling Irresistible Social Conference Experiences

Social. It’s a word that strikes fear in some and excites others. Today it seems that everything is social. From social media to social networking to social technology to social business, the trend is all things social. It’s the new black. Defining The Social Conference So what is the social conference? Does it mean adding … [Read more…]

Why Adults Want To Learn

As an adult, what drives you to learn? Enjoyment? Fun? Growth? Developing new skills? Seeking a new career? Job promotion? Professional certification requirements? New experiences? Supervisor mandates? All of the above? None of the above? The Motivations To Learn ASAE’s research, The Decision To Learn, states that the top two reasons people join nonprofit associations … [Read more…]

Education Deserves Some Respect

In most nonprofit associations, education deserves some respect. Yet it is frequently treated like the Rodney Dangerfield of the association world. To paraphrase Dangerfield, “Education doesn’t get no respect. No respect, no respect at all. That’s the story of education’s life. Education gets no respect.” Members Value Education Typically, education is one of the top … [Read more…]