The demands of our 21st Century conference participants mandate that we change our traditional event experience. Today’s workforce requires that our participants interact, think and work in collaborative ways. Yet our conferences persistently promote expert-directed, one-way passive monologues and panel dialogues. Our conferences continue to resemble the routines of the 19th and 20th century school. Our own models actually inhibit our participants’ authentic learning. We have to break free … [Read more...]
Why Bother With Conference Education Peer Discussions?
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 listening and learning. Right? However, look at the audience and you’ll see from their body language that the speech is far from … [Read more...]
Your Conference Attendees Utterly Deep Driving Need To Share Experiences
My sister likes to talk! Saying she like to talk is an understatement. I don’t think she ever stops talking except when she sleeps. She is not that much different from my father. He likes to talk and talk and talk. And a couple of my very close friends are like that too. They all like to talk about their experiences—good and bad. And after some reflection, I guess I like talking about myself too. I’m doing it right now in this blog post. Sharing Information Gets Us High There is a … [Read more...]
Changes In The Information Cycle Are Driving Conference Education Reform
Conferences (and associations) used to be the go-to source for information and content about a profession or industry. Today, the tools of content creation and distribution actually rest in the hands of individuals. Anyone can create and share content. While not everyone wants to be a content creator, everyone has an interest in organizing and packing information in their own, unique way. We Relate Differently To Information Today Today, we relate to information differently. We can receive … [Read more...]
Bringing Authentic Conference Conversations To Life
Peer conversations are more important to your conference than you know. I’m not talking about one of your attendees serving as a speaker talking at the audience. That’s a lecture. I’m referring to peer conversations in pairs, threesomes and small groups. You know when it’s happening at conferences because the rooms are buzzing with discussions. Everyone is talking to someone else. The Industrial Conference Is Dead Most of us still depend upon and expect an outdated model of conferences: … [Read more...]
Improve Your Conference Lecture By Using These Questions For Peer Discussions
Today, most conference audiences would prefer to engage in one-on-one peer-to-peer discussions than listen to another panel or lecture. It is also clear that employers today place more emphasis on securing employees that are good at engaging others in face-to-face interactions to problem solve, work together and interpret data. Ultimately, peer learning is highly valued and needed in the 21st Century. Transitioning From All Lectures To A Mix Of Lecture And Discussions Many conference … [Read more...]
Four Myths About Introverts, Learning And Conferences
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...]
