Introduction: Participatory Conferences From audience to participants

The Unconference

Conversational Conferences

Conferences often involve long, boring presentations that disengage audiences. This “death by PowerPoint” approach fails to actively involve attendees in the learning process. With some creative planning, however, organizers can transform conferences into engaging, participatory experiences that energize audiences.

In a conference presentation or lecture, would you rather have this:

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.

Credit: Plutarch

It is not as challenging as one may think to transform a conference from a dreaded “death by PowerPoint” event, where attendees sit through endless boring slides, into an engaging and participatory one where the audience is actively involved. With some creativity and planning, the conference organizer can employ various techniques to make the event interactive, such as incorporating activities, discussions, and audience participation instead of simply presenting slide after slide.

This keeps attendees engaged rather than tuning out during lengthy, monotonous presentations. The organizer can also use visual aids and multimedia effectively, take advantage of new technologies and apps to facilitate audience participation and focus talks on telling compelling stories rather than rattling off dry facts and figures.

With the right vision and preparation, it is quite feasible to liven up a conference and turn it into an experience where attendees learn collaboratively and walk away feeling energized rather than drained.

Participatory Conferences

1. Conversational Conferences In a conversational conference, the dominant style of presentation is the conversational talk
2. Conversational Talks How to give a conversational talk or presentation
3. Knowledge Cafés ** Include one or more Knowledge Cafés
4. Conference Breakfasts and Dinners A great opportunity to network and build relationships
5. Are There Any Questions? Q&A is not interaction
6. Peter Block’s Four Ownership Questions Are you prepared to take responsibility for the learning and engagement of others?
7. Let’s Get Rid of Lecterns The lectern is a barrier to connecting with your audience
8. People Tagging ** Inviting conversation
9. The Unconference A conference organized, structured and led by the people attending it

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The Unconference

Conversational Conferences

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