“Experiential” is the new hot adjective used to describe events. “No more listening to speakers; you’re going to have experiences!” Sadly, many of these so-called experiential events are phony. The promoters slap a novel environment (e.g., clowns walking around or chairs […]
I’m excited to present my Participate! Lab at The EVENT, April 4-6, Montréal! I’ll also facilitate a panel/audience “fishbowl sandwich” discussion on industry lessons learned (see the comments), and a closing Group Spective. After a highly successful debut in 2018, three […]
What might leadership for meetings look like? Let’s turn to Harold Jarche for inspiration: “Those doing the work are often the only ones who really understand the context. Leadership is helping build the structure and then protecting the space to […]
How can we bring people together across divides? In April 2017, I posted the following to the NCDD-DISCUSSION list. (The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation [NCDD] is “a network of innovators who bring people together across divides to discuss, decide, […]
You can improve meetings by de-emphasizing status. Apart from my first book, I haven’t written much about status at events. It’s time to revisit this important topic. I think about status at events as the relative levels of proclaimed or perceived […]
“Design is how it works” is the favorite thing Apple software engineer Ken Kocienda heard Steve Jobs say. Here’s Steve: “Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it [a product] looks like. People think it’s this veneer—that the designers […]
Here’s my article “Five Reasons to Change Conferences“, published in the December 2018, NSA Speaker magazine. OUTSIDE IN Five Reasons to Change Conferences Peer sessions provide greater connection around content The most important reason people go to conferences is to usefully connect with […]
Beware of “experiential” events that are just razzle-dazzle. “Experiential” has become a buzzword to use to describe hip events. Instead of listening to speakers, you’re going to have — wait for it — experiences! Sounds so much better, doesn’t it? The […]
We are biased against creativity. Though most people say they admire creativity, research indicates we actually prefer inside-the-box thinking. “In an article for Slate, Jessica Olien debunks the myth that originality and inventiveness are valued in US society: “This is the […]
Legendary Apple designer Jony Ive explains how learning in community helped Apple make the iPhone: “When we genuinely look at a problem it’s an opportunity to learn together, and we discover something together. We know that learning in community is […]