I am an introvert. I enjoy my time alone and typically consider deep relationships as my true friends. I’m not that person that usually enjoys small talk with strangers. However, parts of my job require that I be more outgoing and be the extrovert. When I’m presenting, small talk with participants is critical. I also enjoy connecting others to people that I know that can help them succeed in their profession. Most of the time, I think before I speak. There are times when I get caught in the … [Read more...]
A Conference Peer Discussion Manifesto
For too many years, our conference education and experiences have been one-way, from the speaker's mouth to the listener’s ear. Attendees are like pawns in the speaker's (faux) control. This passive, inactive experience has led to the myth that experts have knowledge that they can give to attendees through their presentations and then attendees have it. (How often have you walked away from a presentation and now have the speaker’s expertise complete with an understanding of how to apply … [Read more...]
New Research Illustrates Need For More Conference Peer Conversations
23 employers, including the Smithsonian Institution, Microsoft and Marriott International, stated that engaging others in face-to-face interactions in order to find information and solve problems is a competency that they need most in their employees. Unfortunately, they rarely find this skill demonstrated by today’s college-educated employees. Employers Place High Need On Information Problem Solving Project Information Literacy’s (PIL) is a national research study about young adults and their … [Read more...]
Moving Towards More Peeragogy Learning Experiences For Conferences And Associations
What if at your next education experience, the speaker gave all the expert-power to the audience? What if the participants were empowered to take more control of their learning, collaboration and dialogue? It's happening in secondary schools, colleges, universities and some education experiences across the globe. It's peeragogy or paragogy, also known as peer-based learning. Defining Peeragogy In short, peeragogy is peer-based learning or learning from each other. It acknowledges the … [Read more...]
Creating Community, Identity And Reflection With Your Conference Space
Have you ever seen a movie that starts with a fast action scene? Immediately, you are pulled into the middle of things. Screenwriters call this media res or in the middle of a plot. They know that they can pull their viewers into the story by placing the action at the beginning. This same principle can be applied to your conference and its space. Attendees Enter On Action Conference registration areas that are easy to navigate are critical for registrants to feel safe and welcome in a space. … [Read more...]
Foster These New Participant Attitudes For Your Next Conference Experience
I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do I tidied up my point of view I got a new attitude! Patti LaBelle, New Attitude As a conference organizer, when was the last time that you had a new attitude about your participants' conference experience? Or are you, "Running hot, running cold...running into overload" as you plan your next event. Shaping Attitudes Our attitudes steer our decisions. They build momentum in everything we do. Or they can become … [Read more...]
You Need These Six Actions At Your Next Conference
Do you design your conference meeting space with participants' behaviors and actions in mind? Or do you design meeting space based on what is the most efficient and not necessarily the most effective? Regardless, you have the unique ability to motivate and stimulate your participants' specific behaviors during your event. Orienting The Room For Specific Purposes Orientation is the relative positioning of people and things. It is the principal vehicle directing human attention. It is also the … [Read more...]
Creating Conference Meeting Space For Innovation And Collaboration
Walk into any space and consciously or not, that space tells us about how to respond. We internally feel what we are supposed to do there. We read the physical environment like we read another person's emotions. The context of the space determines what we do there. Space Matters Space is the body language of any conference and its organizational culture. When you walk into most theaters, the space tells you that you will be sitting passively as you're entertained. When you walk into most … [Read more...]
