Editiorial: Conference Events and Training Workshops
Leverage the similarities
It's been almost two decades since I ran my first training program with Team Focus International. The ultimate objective was improved productivity and effectiveness, and it seems like that's been the ultimate objective of every workshop since.
Throughout the years we've worked with clients in all types of forums, venues, situations, group sizes and objectives. We've run conferences, training programs, incentive events, motivational seminars, and learning and development workshops and I now find myself asking the question what are the similarities between all these events, and can we leverage those similarities?
On the surface these events appear very different. Where a training workshop might have serious "learning and behaviour change" outcomes; the outcomes for a conference will be lighter "fun and networking" oriented; and an incentive event will be all about "motivation and inspiration." You'll also see differences in the types of activities, the material presented, and the processes used.
And yet if we look a little deeper there are strong similarities at an outcomes and energy level that we need to leverage in order to maximise the opportunity the event presents. Firstly I will point out the symptoms of poor leverage.
Symptoms of poor leverage
I have observed some classic symptoms that lack of attention to outcomes and energy can cause. Check your memory to see if you have experienced any of these:
* Lack of flow or connection between presentations, which leads to a disjointed feel to the conference.
* Poorly chosen activities that either don’t link to your objectives or don't match the group(s) energy at the time. The classic example is a high energy or thoughtful activity in the evening when people are feeling drained.
* Poorly timed teambuilding activities. The classic example is the activity thrown at the end of a conference thereby eroding most of the benefit that can be gained from the activity itself.
* Lack of motivation to attend the conference. People are so busy they don't want to give up the time to attend the conference. This is often a symptom of having previously attended poorly designed conferences that have not used their time well.
Team Focus has formed Ignite Conference Events to specifically overcome these symptoms and leverage the similarities between learning and conference events.
Similar Objectives
The first similarity I have mentioned is found when we make a deeper examination of the objectives. As I mentioned earlier the surface objectives of each style of event will appear quite different, however if you dig deeper and examine the real benefit that is desired by the organisation you will find something along the lines of improved productivity, improved performance, or improved organisational effectiveness. In other words the deepest outcome is around the benefit this will give the organisation. At the end of the day isn’t that what it's all about?
This is the first point of leverage. Each event, whether it be a learning workshop or incentive conference, should be built from the objectives. The first question to ask is: what do I want to achieve? This will then guide all other decisions. For example your objectives should even guide your venue selection. If you want to achieve increased networking and people getting to know each other then a smaller more intimate venue would be recommended than if your objective is an incentive reward.
The point here is that your objectives provide the foundation on which to build your event. This is a skill that has long been part of learning and development workshops, and should be leveraged when you are planning a conference, incentive event, or motivational seminar.
Energy Flow
The next similarity is in one of the more subtle aspects of a training program or conference, which is managing the group energy. All events require an understanding of group energy and how to establish, sustain, maintain, increase or change it. In learning and development programs this is vital to the success of the learning journey. Leverage this skill and you will create a far more effective conference or event that is a journey, ideally toward a specific outcome.
Getting it right
Team Focus has formed Ignite Conference Events to help you leverage these specific skills which have been developed over almost two decades of running training and development workshops. We can assist you with the design, organisation, and facilitation of your event in order to help you create something truly amazing.
Ross Judd is the Managing Director of Ignite Conference Events and Team Focus International, leaders in Experiential Learning since 1988.