“I’m done with __________________!” Go ahead and fill in that blank with any type of institution. Big business, conferences, education, government, medicine, membership associations, nonprofits, professional societies, religious organizations, trade organizations, etc. We are witnessing the rise of the Dones, as Dr. Josh Packard calls them. Groups of people that are done with traditional, outdated institutions. And before you dismiss this post…know that Packard’s research applies to your … [Read more...]
Nurturing Conference Experiences That Foster Skillful Collaboration To Create Progress
We can't solve today's and tomorrow's problems with yesterday's thinking says Dan Pink. Most of us only know one way to address our challenges. Our problem solving skills, our communication strategies and our capacity to bend our ideas as we bridge gaps have not evolved fast enough. We think there is only a right and wrong way to do something. We've been taught that the one who pulls and pushes the hardest wins. We believe in black and white answers although life is full of contextual … [Read more...]
Conferences During Hinge Times
We are living in a world of hinge time. Our conferences are planned to educate attendees for an era that no longer exists. The challenges our attendees face are vastly different from the ones of the past. Most of our conference attendees were educated on how to be right. We focus on individual and collective attention on deficits—cognitive, emotional, financial and industry-related says says author Dawna Markova. Rarely have we been taught how to collaborate effectively with people across … [Read more...]
Creating Sticky Learning To Combat Our Illusion Of Knowing
Much of what we take for gospel about how to learn is wasted effort. Learning is grossly misunderstood. The most effective learning strategies are counterintuitive. We believe that attending education and listening to a presenter leads to learning. Just give me the crib sheets, the list of tips, the high level takeaways and I have it. It's easy and I don't have to work for it. So instead we fleece them. We give them what they want even though it doesn't lead to job … [Read more...]
Encourage Conference Experiences That Lead To Practice-Rich Lives Not Knowledge-Rich Brains
Your conference doesn’t have to be the place that only offers expert lectures. It doesn’t have to only offer authorized, approved speeches. Or one-way monologues and panel dialogues. You have the opportunity to pave the way for rich, two-way, peer to peer dialogue. You can create education offerings that provide time for audience elaboration, discussion, doubts, push back and questions not just passive listening. Those conversations lead to ownership of takeaways and authentic … [Read more...]
Are You Guilty Of Advancing The Height Of Conference Arrogance?
The sound of a great conference is not the thunderous applause following an inspiring speaker. It is the creaking of our mind's doors and windows opening to fresh vistas and perspectives. It’s the low hum of people talking to one another in pairs about their insights, thoughts, reflections, concerns and opportunities around short chunked critical content. It’s our internal metaphorical brain-gears spinning as our aha-lights burn brightly. Closeted Dirty Presentation Secrets Here’s the … [Read more...]
Bringing Authentic Conference Conversations To Life
Peer conversations are more important to your conference than you know. I’m not talking about one of your attendees serving as a speaker talking at the audience. That’s a lecture. I’m referring to peer conversations in pairs, threesomes and small groups. You know when it’s happening at conferences because the rooms are buzzing with discussions. Everyone is talking to someone else. The Industrial Conference Is Dead Most of us still depend upon and expect an outdated model of conferences: … [Read more...]
Using Five Eyes To Improve Online Community Engagement
You may be familiar with the five eyes of Buddhism: human eye, divine eye, wisdom eye, dharma eye and the omniscient eye (or Buddha eye). So how familiar are you with the five eyes of online discussions? The Five Eyes Of Online Discussions Think of the following five strategies as different entry points to start a discussion. Or they can be used to help extend an online conversation. These intellectual tools will help direct and manage meaningful conversations. When you follow these five verbs … [Read more...]
