My Presentation Is Fine—It’s The Audience That Doesn’t Get It! June 6, 2017 by Jeff Hurt “My presentation is fine. It’s the audience’s fault if they don’t get it?” “Why do I need to change the way I present? My lecture has worked for years. I get great scores and reviews.” I’m sure you’ve heard statements like this. Maybe you’ve even said something similar yourself. So, why should speakers change how … [Read more…] Filed Under: Speaker Coaching Tagged With: , andragogy, conference lecture, lecture, passive listening, pedagogy, presentation best practices
Why Bother With Conference Education Peer Discussions? February 17, 2016 by Jeff Hurt How many conference speakers have you seen that don’t want attendees asking, answering, commenting or participating during their presentations? From the speaker’s point of view, the presentation seems to be moving along nicely as the content is covered. The room is silent except the speaker’s voice. And surely that means that the audience is attentively … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult education, adult learning, adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, conference best practices, conference education, discussions, lecture, paragogy, peer-to-peer, peerology
Increasing Active Learning Yields Big Results Infographic October 16, 2015 by Jeff Hurt Dr. Russell Mumper, Vice Dean of the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at UNC Chapel Hill, decided to try the flipped classroom concept. He knew that with the explosion of information there was no way to teach his students everything. Instead he used his content to teach them how to become active, lifelong learners. He then … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , active learning, active participation, adult education, adult learning principles, adult learning strategies, brain friendly strategies, Flipped Education Model, flipped learning, interactive, lecture
The Conference Lecture Paradox October 1, 2015 by Jeff Hurt When talking about conference education, most people think about the traditional lecture. It is perceived as the holy grail of much of the conference. Many attendees swear they learn a lot from those subject matter expert speeches. It’s a paradox. Attendees flock to general sessions and breakouts to hear a lecture. Yet science says they … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , adult education, conference best practices, conference education, conference lecture, Education & Adult Learning, lecture, participatory learning
Creating Sticky Learning To Combat Our Illusion Of Knowing July 30, 2015 by Jeff Hurt 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 … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices, conversations, discussions, Education & Adult Learning, lecture, peer-to-peer, sticky learning
Encourage Conference Experiences That Lead To Practice-Rich Lives Not Knowledge-Rich Brains July 29, 2015 by Jeff Hurt 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, … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices, conversations, discussions, Education & Adult Learning, fearless conversations, lecture, peer-to-peer
Are You Guilty Of Advancing The Height Of Conference Arrogance? January 27, 2015 by Jeff Hurt 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 … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , conversations, discussions, interactive, lecture, participant-centric, participatory conferences, peer-based learning, presentation best practices, professional speakers
The Tragic All Too Common Brain Busting Conference Lecture October 16, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Have you seen the Gary Larson cartoon of the student asking if he can be excused because his brain is full? As author Roy Pollock points out, it’s funny as a cartoon. However overwhelming a listener’s brain is a tragic and wasteful problem that happens in many education sessions. Especially conference keynotes and breakouts. Jam … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , brain-friendly conferences, cognitive overload, conference best practices, Education & Adult Learning, lecture
Conferences Are Providing Inferior Education Through Lectures June 5, 2014 by Jeff Hurt Conferences are providing inferior education if all they provide is didactic, presenter monologue lectures. Yes, that’s right. The speaker lecture is ineffective and inferior! If all your attendees do is sit and listen passively to speakers, you’re providing bad conference education! At least that’s what 2001 Physics Nobel Prize recipient, Stanford professor and former director … [Read more…] Filed Under: Event Planning Tagged With: , active learning, adult education, conference best practices, conference education, lecture, participatory learning
The Art Of Changing The Attendees’ Brain: Conference Style December 3, 2013 by Jeff Hurt Usually our view of conference education is an expert at the front of the room doling out their knowledge through witty repartee. The speaker stands on a stage, behind a podium, towering above the audience as if dispensing expertise from on high. Conference organizers and speakers view the audience as those that need the expert’s … [Read more…] Filed Under: Conference Education Tagged With: , adult learning strategies, brain-friendly conferences, conference best practices, conference education, conferences, learner-centric, lecture
