Many conferences are stuck in the rut of legacy routines, age-old rituals and cloned programming. Conference organizers and its advisors replicate the past maintaining the traditions and well-established procedures of yesteryear. The event is nothing more than a zombie conference—a conference that appears to be alive yet in reality creates the walking undead. If you want to refresh, reimagine and reform your zombie conference, you’ll need a team of people pushing in the same direction. … [Read more...]
Nurturing Conference Experiences That Foster Skillful Collaboration To Create Progress
We can't solve today's and tomorrow's problems with yesterday's thinking says Dan Pink. Most of us only know one way to address our challenges. Our problem solving skills, our communication strategies and our capacity to bend our ideas as we bridge gaps have not evolved fast enough. We think there is only a right and wrong way to do something. We've been taught that the one who pulls and pushes the hardest wins. We believe in black and white answers although life is full of contextual … [Read more...]
Conferences During Hinge Times
We are living in a world of hinge time. Our conferences are planned to educate attendees for an era that no longer exists. The challenges our attendees face are vastly different from the ones of the past. Most of our conference attendees were educated on how to be right. We focus on individual and collective attention on deficits—cognitive, emotional, financial and industry-related says says author Dawna Markova. Rarely have we been taught how to collaborate effectively with people across … [Read more...]
Your Rigid Thinking May Block Conference Improvements
Did you learn how to ride a bicycle as a kid? We often say, “Well, it’s just like riding a bicycle. Once you learn how, you’ll never forget.” But what if you had to forget everything you learned about riding a bicycle? What if you had to unlearn and start over? Could you learn, unlearn and relearn how to ride a bicycle? Your Cognitive Bias Equals Rigid Thinking You probably said yes, that you could learn, unlearn and relearn how to ride a bicycle. And therein lies your biggest … [Read more...]
Your Conference Renewal Begins With Wondering
Where does true conference improvement begin? The conference revitalization process is probably very different than many of your past experiences. It’s so different that we have to view it through new lenses. By taking charge of your own understanding of conference improvement and transformation, you begin a new journey. You are exploring uncharted territory. You are on a discovery adventure. Where Does Your Journey Start So how do you start this journey of conference transformation? … [Read more...]
Four Commitments That Block Conference Reinvention
Some conferences keep pace with changing times. Others seem stuck in a time warp. Tradition led them to success in the past and they expect it will in the future. Most organizations respond to changing times in some way. Many respond by increasing the flurry of activity that has resulted in past success. Usually, that’s the wrong response. Active Inertia: The Early Failure Warning Sign Active inertia is the primary reason organizations fail to adapt to changing business environments says … [Read more...]
Your Conference Needs To Offer Transformational Learning Not Informational Learning
Which word describes the type of conference education sessions you prefer to attend? Pick one. Informed or transformed? The Best Learning At Conferences For me, I want to be more than just informed. I can be informed by reading information online. I don’t need to travel to a conference to become informed. I prefer a conference experience that is transformational! It transforms my thinking, my perspective, my attitude, my actions and my habits. Those are the type of conference experiences … [Read more...]
What Do You Want Your Conference Customers To Become?
“It’s not the attendees’ job to know what they want,” paraphrase of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. “Larry [Page] is into making people what he wants them to be—which is a little smarter,” former Google Executive (from author’s private correspondence).” So who do you want your conference customers to become? Adopting The Ask In Conference Design This simple question, “Who do you want your conference customers to become?” can transform your traditional conference planning. HBR author … [Read more...]
