Here’s something that many conference organizers suspect but rarely act on: Big-name keynote speakers don’t make your event memorable. In fact, they’re probably sabotaging both your budget and your attendees’ experience. I’ve spent decades designing and facilitating conferences that people […]
How can we best support our peers? Two powerful approaches are learning from shared stories and engaging in one-on-one conversations. But is one more effective than the other? This question came up recently during an Association Chat weekly group conversation. […]
After four decades of founding associations, serving on non-profit boards, and designing and facilitating countless association meetings, I’ve seen a lot. Enough, in fact, to spot patterns—especially when things go wrong. Earlier this year, I documented three common-but-overlooked mistakes associations […]
How can we create conditions where real learning can take root? Whether you’re leading a workshop, teaching a class, or simply trying to help people engage more meaningfully, this question strikes at the heart of what it means to facilitate […]
Do I trust you? I live in rural Vermont, so if I want to go to an in-person conference that isn’t close to me, I need to get on an airplane. The closest airport to me is a two-hour drive. […]
I recently came across the poem Sacred Ground, by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. She reminded me that everywhere is holy. It’s easy for me to see aspects of my life as mundane. When I do, I gloss over the present moment, […]
Aside from my first book, I haven’t written much about the effects of attendee status — attendees’ “relative rank in a hierarchy of prestige” — at events. It’s time to revisit this important topic because you can improve your meetings […]
The social media platforms we once relied on for authentic connection are disintegrating. My ikigai—the reason I get up in the morning—is facilitating connection. But today’s major social media platforms—Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, et al.—are all owned by […]
If you are serious about improving your conferences, my meeting design workshop can be the game-changer your organization needs. Here’s what happens at a typical one-day workshop. In a world where passive listening no longer satisfies attendees, traditional lecture-based conferences […]