Lose the PPT Template May 20, 2016 by Dave Lutz Many conference organizers are actively seeking and experimenting new learning formats and innovative room sets. Both are worthwhile quests to improve conference learning and participant value. If this describes your organization, strike while the iron is hot and discontinue mandating usage of your conference’s PowerPoint template. The brand police at your company won’t like this … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , adult learning, industry speaker, PowerPoint, Speaker Emerging Practices, speaker tips, visuals
Too Many Technical Presentations Suffer From POOH! April 23, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Sutro Baths: Vertical Poop by Andy Morris Your conference’s technical presentations suffer from POOH*! “Huh?” you ask. “What are you talking about?” Too often, and I mean way too often, our conferences are full of technical presentations that offer nothing more than POOH! For some reason, we falsely believe that technical presentations don’t have to … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , industry speaker, SMEs, speaker tips, STEM, subject matter experts, technical presentation
Are Your Conference Speakers Tickling Ears Or Transforming Lives? July 1, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Several months ago, a well-known established professional speaker chided me publicly in Facebook because of a post I wrote about how our brains thrive on images. This speaker said that he didn’t need to add visuals to his presentations because all of his clients were extremely satisfied with his keynote presentations. And he had been … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , industry speaker, professional speakers, speaker selection, speaker tips
High Voltage Highlights About Speakers At Meetings Infographic April 11, 2014 by Jeff Hurt The 2013 Speaker Report: The Use of Professional and Industry Speakers In the Meetings Market (Free PDF download. No contact information required.) Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , industry speaker, professional speakers
How To Be A Bodacious, Wicked, Totally Tubular Technical Presenter January 29, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Highly specialized technical complex topics are often associated with boring, butt-numbing, brain-draining, hum-drum, buzzkill presentations. So how do you tackle complicated technical content head on and still deliver an engaging, memorable and bodacious presentation? How do you move your audience from saying, “I thought that presentation would never end,” to “Booyah! That was totally awesomesauce!” … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , industry speaker, presentation best practices, presentation strategies, speaker, speaker tips, STEM, subject matter experts, technical presentation
Conference Audiences To Speakers: It Is All About Me, Not You! November 11, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Me, me, me, me, me! No, it’s not the latest Sesame Street song sung by Beaker. Nor am I talking about the “Me Generation.” I’m talking about today’s conference audiences focused on their own ROI and not the speaker as entertainer. Me, Me, Me! Today’s audience’s see conference keynotes and education sessions differently than in … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , adult learning, conference best practices, conferences, facilitator, industry speaker, presentation strategies, professional speakers, speaker tips
Three Conference Speaker Ahas You Need to Know November 6, 2013 by Dave Lutz How does your conference speaker selection process compare to other organizations? What’s working and what isn’t when it comes to selecting and securing industry and professional speakers? The Use Of Professional And Industry Speakers The past summer, Velvet Chainsaw partnered with Tagoras, a leading market research and consulting company for learning, to survey conference professionals … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education, Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , association trends, conference education, conference tips, conferences, industry speaker, meeting industry trends, speaker
The Job Of A Speaker Must Drastically Change For Successful Conferences Today November 5, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Today’s audiences expect more from a speaker than the traditional lecture. They want to be inspired, motivated, entertained and learn relevant take aways that they can apply immediately. They are not satisfied with sitting passively listening to monologues and panel platitudes. They want to actively participate in an education session. The End Of A Speaker-Expert … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , adult learning, conference best practices, conferences, facilitator, industry speaker, presentation strategies, professional speakers, speaker tips
Your Conference Speakers’ Skills Gap Is Causing You To Lose Money April 4, 2013 by Jeff Hurt The majority of your conference speakers have a major skills gap! They are relying on pedagogical mimicry–presenting the same way that their teachers taught them. That causes you and your conference to rely solely on a foundation of mimicry for education success. And this foundation is the exact the opposite of what your speakers should … [Read more…] Filed Under: Business Model, Conference Education Tagged With: , conference best practices, conferences, industry speaker, professional speakers, speaker, Speaker Emerging Practices, speaker tips
Do Not Start With The Roof: A How To Blueprint For Your Presentation Content March 2, 2012 by Jeff Hurt Imagine you’re going to build a house. You don’t just start building and add more wood as you proceed. Nor do you start with the roof and build from the top down. You start with a blueprint. You create a detailed and precise plan of what you want your house to be. The blueprint serves … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , industry speaker, presentation best practices, presentation strategies, speaker, speaker tips
