Know-How Exchange : Other

I guess it depends on the topic. I tend to learn best while doing. In general workshops that are the most useful to me allow me some hands on time (especially if there is technology involved). I need to have a chance to play around with something and explore.

My least favorite are when there is someone up front who talks the entire time. These tend to not be very memorable and the the information disappears almost as fast as I get it. I guess my days listening to lectures are in general done. My feeling that this style of presentation can be accomplished in a video and would not need to be live.

If a workshop is live it needs to engage the participants, whether that be through doing or small group actiities. It is important that people be given different ways to process information, not just auditory

I guess I am rambling now. I hope this helps, even though it was not too concrete.

Mike

Hi, Juliet
I found a Pygmalion public speaking workshop to be effective and well executed. The speaker had the challenge of being in the spotlight as a constant example, and he made the session interactive.

After each skill taught, he invited a volunteer or two to come up and deliver an impromptu speech on any topic. He were "warned" that all of us would come up at some point. Very hands on!

As he taught more skills, the trainees were responsible for incorporating all of them in to their impromptu speeches. It gave people a push to get up in front of the group before they had to juggle too many new skills at once.

What was memorable for me was that the instructor didn't break from his standards. When a colleague asked a question--and I had the answer--I was told to deliver my answer as an impromptu speech, using the skills I had been taught.

The best training sessions are the ones that get you information and kowledge before your competitors. Cutting edge knowledge that is going to help your eclipse your competitors. I have been to allot of symposiums that promise a lot and deliver little. You have to have good food and catering too.

Hi Juliet,

I like to learn how to do things -- so I suppose I am the kind that searches for expert fishermen that can teach me new ways to bait my hook and new spots to fish. However, don't overlook the other half that like to just buy fresh fish because they don't have the time to fish themselves.

I love going to catered events where there is fresh fruit. It helps those that are on a diet keep to their diet and feel less guilty about sitting in one place all day listening to the lecturing.

One more tip is to include lots of interaction and I am sure other's have suggested this - but this is really important and key to presentation success.

On fishing... First, there's learning how to fish, of course. That's great for those who don't know how.

Second, there's the audience who really know's the "sport." S/he will want to learn new methods and things the other fisherpeople don't know yet.

Whether you're teaching novices or experts, they will ALL want to know something they can go back and use immediately to catch big fish and impress others!

Two presentations that stick best in my mind were by people who weren't just good presenters. They genuinely knew more than anyone else in the room. In one, people were asked to ask about problems (marketing problems) they were experiencing. The presenter quickly rattled off solutions and ideas at an amazing rate. The other most memorable presentation was a similar format. The presenter had a range of possible topics to talk about on the broad subject of creativity. Audience members would select from the topics one by one, and each time this amazing mind proceeded with a related story that offered tremendous wisdom and insight. Both of these presenters roamed the room rather than standing in front.

1 - My fave was Brandworks University. I liked it because the audience was the same skill level as me, so the networking was good and the classes weren't too basic, but there was still a good mix of people from varying industries. Almost all the speakers were top notch, both in their fields, and as presenters. And the sessions weren't too repetitive (that's my biggest pet peeve w/ most conferences).

2- At this conference, the event moderators were a comedy improv group. They used improv exercises to help us think about our marketing programs. The best one was a storytelling exercise. They asked us all to think of a story that represents our brand -- something we tell around the office. We told the story to the person next to us, and that person had to respond with what he thought the story said about our brand. In my case, it was spot on. Then, we were asked to think of a story that contradicted our brand value, and our neighbors had to respond again with what that story represented.

We then created a grid with four squares. The x-axis was Positive and Negative. The Y-axis was Current and Future. We used this to classify stories about our brand...
Current/Positive = stories of Fact
Current/Negative = Stores of Contradiction (where our brand promise falls short)
Future/Positive - Stories of Possibility (what we could be, but aren't yet)
Future/Negative - Stories of Anxiety (expose our fears)

the exercise was enlightening to the whole audience.

3- Anything that requires participation and challenges the audience can work well. I've gotten great presentation ideas from watching the TED conference videos (ted.com).
Hope that helps!

Share the passion. The presentations that grab my interest are by people who share their passion - not from their head, but from their heart. When I hear plenary presentations at TED or Bioneers, I know that many of the topics I have little first-hand knowledge of. But hearing someone share their love of what they do, that's inspiring for me.

Keep it short. All too often people try to stuff too much information into a presentation (or pad it to fill out their time slot). Instead, give me the core idea, and a couple of examples. Leave lots of time for Q&A, and time for me to integrate the ideas with my own experience.

Involve the senses. Even in an purely intellectual presentation, a story that not only conveys the facts, but also some "color" to let my imagination kick in, lets me make the story "mine".

Focused. Some people have been craving the opportunity to present, so when they do, they stuff lots of important things into a single presentation. Just like in all good marketing materials, there's a single thread, and everything is used to support that thread.

Great question, Juliet. And some good answers so far. I can identify in particular with Jay's comments/observations.

The most impactful seminars I've attended involved a heavy dose of "creativity training," in which the participants are challenged to take a specific topic or lesson and apply it in teams, then present the team's creative thinking to the group ... which then critiques both the output and the process. It gets everyone engaged and forces you to integrate what you've learned from the presenter with your own ideas, needs and perspectives.

As for seminars I've given, the ones that seem to work best have lots of visual stimulation, action/motion, examples from the real world and memorable stories (e.g., case studies with familiar brands/people). Once I even used a magic trick (from an old hobby) to make a point, and the feedback from that particular seminar was a perfect 10 (out of 10).

I've also begun to realize that PowerPoint is a terribly misused tool ... at least if you stick to the Microsoft templates and thinking style. Check out a couple of resources that are much better: Beyond Bullet Points, by Cliff Atkinson; and The Back of the Napkin, by Dan Roam. They both have some great ideas for presentation style/format that make a tremendous difference in communication effectiveness.

Hope this helps. I'm looking forward to hearing what others have to say on this topic.

The best workshops I have attended included more than one way to learn. Some people learn by hearing, some by seeing, others by doing, and still others by helping others learn. Managing to give all four groups a way to learn makes for a great workshop.

For example, a great speaker I've had the privilege of hearing more than once will discuss a new concept, principle, that the group may need to learn, or is having problems with, and
1. Have us take notes - he will often say: "Write this down", while he is writing it on the whiteboard
2. Give us time to expand on how that particular concept, etc., impacts us in our notes
3. Has us break into small groups to brainstorm the concept, etc., or create a solution
4. Gives a "leader" of each group the opportunity to share their group's results with all the participants in the room.
5. Write the solutions on the whiteboard for everyone to see.

His method gets everyone involved, and helps each learn the way that works for them best.