Modernizing Conference Education August 19, 2010 by Jeff Hurt With all the advancements in society and research on how the brain works, why is it that most conference education still provides talking heads and passive listeners? Is that best for your attendees? Here is the PowerPoint from a short 12-minute TED-style presentation that I gave at Experient’s 2010 e4 conference in Orlando, FL. Enjoy. Modernizing … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , active learning, active participation, adult learning, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement
Thinking About How Conference Meeting Design Impacts The Brain August 10, 2010 by Jeff Hurt The things that make you go hmmm. I’ve been reading a lot of books recently about how our brains experience emotions, engagement and learning, and how we remember, retain and apply information. I’ve been thinking about the application of cognitive neuroscience to conferences, events and meetings. These are the things that make me go hmmm. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , adult learning, brain-friendly conferences, brain-friendly meetings, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement
Weigh In On What Do We Call Them? August 6, 2010 by Jeff Hurt In a recent blog post I asked Registrant, Attendee, Participant Or Learner? What do we call people who attend a conference or event? As a recap, here are the definitions of those words and I’ve added delegate to the discussion as well. The differences are subtle yet articulate distinct responses and actions. Registrant – one … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , attendee, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, learner, participant
Registrant, Attendee, Participant Or Learner? August 5, 2010 by Jeff Hurt Words, words, words. They are everywhere. Billboards, blogs, books, Facebook, menus, movies, internet, LinkedIn, magazines, newspapers, roadway signs, screens, social media, smart phones, television, Twitter and websites to name a few. Words are rapped, shouted, spoken and sung. Some are believed, felt and trusted. Some are disputed, doubted and cause negative emotions. Some words dance, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Experience Design Tagged With: , attendee, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, learner, participant
We Participate, Therefore We Are July 27, 2010 by Jeff Hurt This spin on cogito ergo sum (English: “I think, therefore I am”) could possibly be a good motto for all conferences and events. Social Learning We participate, therefore we are. Our learning, understanding and knowledge are developed in participation with others. Social learning occurs through conversations about the content and through grounded interactions and engagement … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active learning, active participation, adult learning, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, meeting
Broken Lamps, Disagreement And Open Dialogue July 22, 2010 by Jeff Hurt As a child, one minute I would be fighting with my sister over who was going to sit in that special chair. The next minute we would be playing together as if nothing ever happened. Our disagreements would flare and then we would move on to other things. We were quick to disagree without being … [Read more…] Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: , communication, engagement, open dialogue, Social Media
Three Ways To Upgrade Reekin’ Stinkin’ Conference Education And Help Your Presenters Practice Their Craft July 6, 2010 by Jeff Hurt 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…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , adult learning, content, delivery, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, practice versus experience, speaker, Speaker Emerging Practices, speaker evaluations
NASA Is Looking For Signs Of Life…At Your Conference June 30, 2010 by Jeff Hurt The National Adult Survival Association (NASA) has decided to send the next generation of land rovers to your annual meeting. These rovers have more robust and hyper-sensitive life detecting systems than the traditional conference evaluation smile sheets. NASA is looking for signs of life…at your conference. NASA’s researchers have documented that your conference had life … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , association, community, conference community, conferences, engagement, meeting
Engineering Education Strategies For Next Generation Conferences And Events – Wrap Up June 16, 2010 by Jeff Hurt On June 14, 2010, at PCMA’s Education Conference at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, I facilitated a discussion about the changes of learning in the digital age and their impact on conference education. We discussed these six principles of designing next generation sessions for today’s conferences. Conference education 1. Should transition from passive listening to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active learning, adult learning, association, conferences, Education & Adult Learning, engagement, meeting planner
Eight Tips To Encourage Participation, Intimacy, Community In Your Conferences And Events May 20, 2010 by Jeff Hurt When was the last time you visited a museum? Nina Simon‘s Complicity, Intimacy, Community post about fostering personal relationships with visitors in small and large spaces brought back a flood of memories of some of my museum experiences. You should read it and then come back here. Go ahead, I’ll be here when you finish. … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active participation, association, community, engagement, participatory learning, Web 2.0