The research* shows that much of what we do in our conference education is actually counterproductive. (*See partial list of research and books at the end of Dangerous Assumptions Part 1 post.) We spend too much of our conference time on delivery of information. The web is a better information delivery model than our events. We should shift our conference education focus to our attendees’ real business results. When we emphasize delivery for application instead of delivery for information … [Read more...]
Dangerous Assumptions About Your Conference Education Part I
It’s a very dangerous assumption. We assume that if our speakers are talking, our attendees must be learning. We equate telling from the stage with audience education. Telling does not equal learning. We’ve placed a value on experts talking instead of a value on attendees’ learning. It’s backwards thinking and it’s one of our conference’s most dangerous assumptions. Mimicking The Wrong Model Most of our conference education mimics our traditional higher education model. Attendees listen … [Read more...]
Myths Your Conference Should Stop Perpetuating
Your conference is spreading the cult of myths, traditions and rituals. How so? What do you mean? You ask. Providing conference education is not as intuitive as it seems! Science shows that there is a right way and a wrong way to design, deliver and implement conference education. Unfortunately, most conferences ignore the science. Instead, they sell and promote their unscientific approaches to education. Source: The Science of Training and Development in Organizations: What Matters in … [Read more...]
Most Association And Conference Beliefs About Attendee Learning Are Wasted Efforts
The empirical research on how we learn and remember shows that… …Most of what we know as truth about learning is nothing more than wasted effort! The learning opportunities that we offer to our customers and members are based on outdated theory, lore, past experiences and gut instincts. And the empirical evidence says much of our education offerings are nothing more than wasted effort and time! Our Intuition About Learning Is Wrong “People generally are going about learning in the wrong … [Read more...]
15 Myths We Hold As Truths About Conference Education
We all believe in myths. Some of us don’t know that our own personal beliefs are actually based on fiction. Some of us hold on to our own personal experiences as supporting evidence of our beliefs. We don’t realize that our realities are often grounded in confirmation bias. We fail prey to the adage, “But I know better because my own experience says so.” Confirmation Bias We like people who think like us. If we agree with someone’s beliefs, we are more likely to be their friend. If we … [Read more...]
These Conference Presentation Myths Cramp The Attendee Experience
Most conference organizers see attendees as consumers of the conference’s information. Little thought is given to seeing attendees as active participants in their own learning and experience. 8 Myths That Restrict The Attendee Experience Here are eight conference presentation myths that you should avoid. Myth 1: The lecture or panel best serves all conference attendees. Reality: The lecture and panel are homogenized conference presentations that cause our brains to check out. The … [Read more...]
Education Myths That Shape Conferences
Conventional wisdom regarding traditional conference education is well-intentioned and misguided. Our accepted beliefs about what does and doesn't work in conference sessions are universal. We've always done it this way and no one has complained so it must be working. Today, cognitive neuroscience has created a new standard of proof. Most of what we thought was good education is directly opposed to how the brain operates. Most conference education actually obstructs learning. Using Brain … [Read more...]
Are You A Right-Brained Creative?
Where does creativity come from? No, it doesn't come from the strike of lightning bolt or a handful of hallucinogenic drugs. Although the movie Gothic depicting English Romantic poets Mary Shelley and Lord Byron taking drugs on a rooftop in the midst of a thunderstorm might lead you to think so. Dramatic, yes! And far from the truth. (The movie chronicles the summer when Shelley wrote Frankenstein.) Defining Creativity What is creativity? Creativity is a mix of original thinking, ingenuity … [Read more...]
