Tag: delivery


Raining On Your Presentation Parade: Facts Do Not Persuade

It felt like a scene from Groundhog Day. I was stuck in a time warp loop. Presenter after presenter after presenter started with the same phrase, “I have no financial conflict of interest to disclose.” Then each one launched into a diatribe of data, diagrams, facts and research. Dark, boring PowerPoint slides flashed before my … [Read more…]

Nine Essentials To Keep Your Presentation From Becoming A Corpse

Presentations are the economy of most conferences and business today. Yet most presentations are boring. A majority of them are just uninteresting. They lack humanness, life, passion and emotional connections. Today, many conference participants feel trapped by a parade of monotonous, dreary, insipid presentations. It doesn’t take long to recognize a corpse. It takes even … [Read more…]

Seven Tips to Get the Most From Your Industry Speakers

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” When it comes to selecting industry speakers, that adage is especially sage.  You’ve read their speaker proposal, description and bio. They look like the right fit for your conference. But just because they’ve got the right dancing shoes doesn’t mean they can pull off the dance. Here are … [Read more…]

What Presentations And Pancakes Have In Common

I woke up with an intense craving for golden, fluffy, hot, spongy pancakes with a crispy edge. I rarely eat pancakes. But this morning the desire was strong. My mind was deluged with the smell of fresh pancakes on the griddle, the sound of the batter hitting the pan and the sight of a pancake … [Read more…]

Applying The Fisch Flip To Your Conference Model

Have you heard about the Fisch Flip or Flip-Thinking? Dan Pink wrote about Flip Thinking and how some people are reversing the usual sequence of things. Pink talks about Karl Fisch, a 20-year educator who has decided to flip the standard high-school math class. Fisch puts all of his lectures on YouTube and assigns them … [Read more…]

The 21st Century Conference Attendee Bill Of Rights

Here is the heart of why most people attend conferences: learning. Learning about others. Learning new ideas through collaboration and problem solving. Learning what has worked. Learning solutions to our problems. Learning current trends and research to further our careers. Learning is the heartbeat of today’s world. Stop learning and you stop progression, and business … [Read more…]

Three Ways To Upgrade Reekin’ Stinkin’ Conference Education And Help Your Presenters Practice Their Craft

Let’s face it. Most conference education is lackluster. Actually, most of it stinks, is dull and could be used to line bird cages. Generally, our customers say they attend conferences and meetings to learn and network. Yet, we as conference organizers continue to do the same things we’ve always done when planning our meetings–focus on … [Read more…]

Improving Your Conference Education: Begin With The End In Mind

When securing speakers for you next conference or meeting, here are two things that you can do that will have an immediate positive effect on your conference education:   Tell your speakers that you want them to build their presentations backwards. They should begin by identifying the learning outcomes. What is it that they want their … [Read more…]

Engineering Education Strategies for Next Generation Conferences and Events

This is not your Grandma’s conference learning strategy. Traditional conference strategies of attendees sitting passively, listening to a talking head is out. Seeing your conference attendees as participants, co-creators, experts and advocates is in. In the digital age, people are learning in new ways that are both communal and autonomous. They contribute to Wikipedia, comment … [Read more…]

Designing Next Generation Conference Education Sessions

On May 11, 2010, I presented a Webinar for KRM Information on Designing Next Generation Conference Education Sessions: Creating an Environment for Informal and Formal Learning in a Digital Age. Update May 13, 2010: Listen to the free recording of the sixty-minute presentation. As promised, here are the slides from the presentation. Enjoy. Designing Next Generation … [Read more…]