The Conference Cringe List

Yes, there are some things to avoid when you next bring the team together to deliver some inspiration, motivation or realignment to the strategy.

This list is from the intersection of some of my very specific experience as a facilitator, performer and MC. The job of the conference is to inspire participants, engage delegates and attendees, share knowledge and information. It’s not to serve the speaker, leader who is presenting or the organisers. 

I’ve got a lot on my ‘cringe’ list that I’ve seen over recent weeks…

The Conference Cringe List – Part 1

• Why are the blinds closed in this room? Lighten it up. Your PowerPoint presentation is not THAT interesting that you need a darkened room. And a darkened room for a title slide? Oh come on! For a few minutes maybe, but not all morning, or all day.

 

• Still, quiet, silent even. Yeah, that’s really inspiring. Put on some music and pump it up. It helps engage the ears of the audience, lifts the mood, sets the tone and can present a style, brand or theme for the rest of the event.

 

• Announcements titled ‘Housekeeping’. Oh yawn! Yes there are important things to present and announce; don’t diminish them by lumping them together under ‘housekeeping’. Whoever listened up for important housekeeping announcements? It quite simply means ‘don’t listen to this.’

 

• Amateur microphone technique. ‘Is this on?’ ‘Can you hear me?’ Stop holding it like it’s a bridesmaid’s posey and hold it more like an icecream – up near the speaking part of your body, your mouth! Your chest, stomach and groin don’t speak. Not in words people want to hear anyway!

 

• Don’t aplogise for your PowerPoint slides. If you need to apologise, don’t show ‘em.

• Stop stealing time from invaluable break, refreshment, nuturing and networking time because your agenda ran over. You stuffed up – someone spoke too long and was not politely reminded to wrap it up. Don’t make your delegates suffer for these amateur stuff ups.

 

• Why did you promise we’d all be ‘up and moving soon’ and 45 minutes later we’re still seated? You may promise, but you need to deliver that promise real quick!

Oh I could go on… I have another 25 points here but I’ll save them for parts 2 and 3...

Six minutes in 80

A strategic team day and an agenda that's full of tasks, activities, discussions and outcomes. But not enough time for breaks?

Six minutes in 80 - that's a guide for an optimal break vs activity ratio.

Why are so many leaders pushing for overflowing agendas? Is it that breaks are seen as time wasting or time off from the 'real' work at hand?

Maybe leaders think they have to get their money's worth from their people, the venue they've hired and all the audio visual equipment that's whirring away in the room.

Or they're concerned they just won't get to where they need to get to in this 'one magical silver bullet make it all happen' day... if they don't push on, rush and make 'em keep working.

Let go of control and allow breaks, schedule breaks and be generous with break time. Productivity is boosted, fatigue is reduced, alertness is improved. You can achieve so much during a break.

This infographic, about the value of taking breaks is a great reminder of the 'why' you need to pause occasionally and it's right there, the 6 minutes in 80 ratio suggestion.

Even two minutes to stand and stretch is better than pushing on through.

Next meeting, workshop, team session : schedule breaks. You'll get more out of the day, the team, the outcomes. 

'Well that's nice but I don't draw'

If you've checked out any of the sort of work I do you'll see I help people communicate and engage with each other - better than they're doing now. 

Visual thinking is part of it. 

There's a lot of 'I don't draw' out there when I arrive in a workplace to run a half or full day session on visual thinking. 

Actually folks, it's not about the drawing. It's about the THINKING. 

Say it like this : 'I don't think'. 

Well... you do. 

If you don't think that visuals can play a part in how you engage or think or sell your message and thinking to someone else, you can read some more here and here.

When you use visual skills, you'll really 'get it' because the people you're communicating with 'get it'. The process of engaging with them will be so much sweeter - even if you're having a rip roaring disagreement with them!

And I think it's so selfish to say 'I don't draw' - as if it's all about you! When you're working to communicate with someone it's actually all about them! So it's time to move on folks....

Untangle Thinking

Get Things Straight

Make Something of It 

4 Ways to Tell if You're a High Engagement Leader

"So glad that's over... what a yawn-fest." No doubt you've enjoyed that type of meeting, workshop or conversation today?

If you were the leader or convenor, of course not. It was somebody else, yes?

High engagement leaders know that having a meeting or a conversation that's a 'yawn fest' is a no-go zone.

High engagement leaders focus on establishing and maintaining high levels of engagement with the people they work with: team members, colleagues, stakeholders... whoever they work with... high engagement is a high priority. 

(Sure, you can have a high engagement gathering on a Friday afternoon after work. Not many outcomes achieved, but gee, we had a g-r-e-a-t time!)

A high engagement leader aims to create and build engagement and connection with others... and then, once they've got that engagement, they are able to make stuff happen. In other words, get to outcomes. 

Engagement and outcomes. That's it. 

I think there are four ways to tell if you're a high engagement leader. 

In this model, you're aiming for the top right of the four quadrants - high on engagement, high on outcomes. 

If you're creating a hostage situation : you're getting great outcomes, but dragging people along.... pssst, you're not high engagement. 

If everyone's engaged, happy, singing sweet songs but you'll work on the outcomes next time... you're still not a truly effective leader. 

And if you're not getting the engagement and not getting the outcomes, cue the 'yawn fest'. 

Get the participants at your next workshop, meeting or conversation to answer this question:

Was this meeting/workshop/session a:

1. Hostage situation
2. Yawn fest
3. Party
4. High on engagement and outcomes?

Show them the model. Get them to tell you how well you went with engagement and outcomes.

You may well be somewhere between these, but whatever you do, keep shifting away from the hostage situation, the yawn fest and the pure party. The people you work with are counting on you. 

Give good output

"We've got to get input from people on how this service will be designed, structured and delivered", said Jason, a client I met up with this morning. 

But how is that 'input' experience going to go for the business and the project team... and the users?

For Jason and the team, they are keen to get control over the engagement, the collaboration and the 'working with others' that is to come over the next few months.

"It can go sooooo off track," he said. "On the one hand, we absolutely need their input... but it can be such a pain to open up that huge world of possibiliy - they want everything, they want it now."

We both chuckled at the 'Daddy I want an oompa loompa and I want it now' quote from the spoilt child character Veruca Salt in the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film.

To get input into design and delivery, you do want to get it right and be conscious of how it can get out of hand, drag on or never seem to be finished. 

So with Jason, I'll be designing the input, engagement and consultation process in a way that generates great input and is an enjoyable and successful process.

When you're going for input from people, it needs to save time, not steal time.

It needs to engage with 'yowza' not yawn, and it needs to deliver great positioning and awareness of what the project or team is about to embark on.

How you handle this phase of engagement, consultation and development will say so much about how you intend to work with the business over the coming months. 

Plan for good input and you'll give good output.