Your Conference Planning Really Is Brain Surgery July 30, 2014 by Jeff Hurt You’ve heard the saying, “Come on, this is not brain surgery.” It means that something is really simple to do. We use it to encourage people to stop whining and do the obvious. Planning the right conference programming for the right target audience is profoundly simple. If you have a vision and focus. And it … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attention, brain science education, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, inhibition, neuroscience, target market, working memory
Escape Your Conference Comfort Zone To Become Happier And Smarter April 7, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Conference organizers, whatever scares you when planning your event, plan to do it now! That’s right, run to your fear and escape your conference comfort zone! Why? Busting out of your conference comfort zone leads to a longer, happier, smarter life with increased confidence, gratification and satisfaction, to paraphrase author Ken Budd. Boredom Kills Too … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conference best practices, meeting planning best practices, meeting professionals, neuroscience
Kneebucklingly Sweet Idea Generation Tool: Brainwriting April 2, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Brainstorming is out! Brainwriting is in! Brainstorming Challenges Brainstorming is something most of us know and have used at some point in our lives. It’s a tool often used to create a list of spontaneous ideas contributed by a group. Alex Faickney Osborn popularized the tool in 1953. Osborn claimed that brainstorming was more effective … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , adult education, brain-friendly meetings, education best practices, introverts
Too Many Meeting Professionals Are Bored With Work March 25, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Are you part of the 87% of workers that are bored at work? According to Gallup, the bulk of employees, 63% are not engaged at work. They lack motivation and are less likely to invest initiative in organizational goals or outcomes. 24% are actively disengaged. They are unhappy and unproductive at work. And their negative … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conference best practices, meeting planning best practices, meeting professionals, neuroscience
The Neuroscience of Networking: Why Networking Matters To Your Conference February 18, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Your brain is passionate about one thing. So much so that when it is not thinking about a problem or focused on something specific, it defaults to doing this one thing. Neuroscientist Dr. Matthew Lieberman says that our brains have a passion of their own. “We know this because our brains seem to devote all … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Networking, Experience Design Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conferences, connections, connexity
Avoid The Conference Zombie Zone January 13, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Do your conference’s education efforts result in the living dead or do they create life-transforming moments? Meeting professionals who understand Evidence Based Education (EBE)—the science and evidence on learning –and those who apply EBE strategies derived from the research, will find their conference education efforts becoming more effective and exciting. Here is the slide deck … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , brain science education, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conference, conference best practices, education best practices
Your Conference Attendees Avoid And Crave Change Simultaneously October 30, 2013 by Jeff Hurt It’s quite ironic actually. Our brains do everything they can to avoid change. Yet at the same time, our brains increase their engagement and focus when change is involved. Our brains crave change to keep us connected to the situation at hand. Wired To Be Risk-Averse Our brains are naturally wired to avoid any type … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, change, conference best practices, conferences
Four Basic Conference Principles You Must Adopt September 19, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Brain drain or brain fuel? Which would you rather create for your conference attendees? Brain fuel for sure! Unfortunately, most conferences are nothing more than brain drains. The Traditional Conference Tension Conference organizers have to balance a common tension: fill seats versus creating a unique attendee experience. Usually, conference organizers land on the side of … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain science education, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conference best practices, conference education, conference tips, conferences, meeting industry trends, meeting planning best practices
Overhauling Your Conference To Adapt To The Lean, Mean, Thinking Machine February 21, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Regardless of one’s age, culture, gender or race, we share one thing in common: Our human brains love to learn! Our brains are a lean, mean, thinkin’ machine. It’s always on the prowl for new things to explore. It is genetically programmed to learn. Brain Boredom Our brains are always paying attention to something says … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , brain science education, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conference best practices, conferences, meeting planning best practices, meeting professionals
6 Barriers That Impede Conference Attendee Attention October 20, 2011 by Jeff Hurt Everyday our brains make a payment of their precious resources. We try to pay attention. We attempt to listen, read or work on a single task for as long as we can. Our visual and auditory systems strive to lock into the work at hand. Can I Have Your Attention? To pay attention, we have … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , attention, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conference best practices, conferences, presentation best practices
