IT USED TO BE...
The way to put together a conference session was to identify a
topic, find a really good speaker, write a description, and gather
some subject-expert presenters. And some of those sessions are really
good. Unfortunately, however, even the best of these soon become
"same-old-same-old." Audiences want to be more engaged.
They want to be challenged. They want more than session after session
of lecture-style, PowerPoint, theoretical, talking-head presentations.
The big question then, is how do you do that?
COMMUNITY BUILDING
By the end of the conference, your attendees will most surely
feel a sense of community. How about creating that sense of intimacy,
shared purpose, and shared vision from the outset? An EffectiveArts
community-building session on the first day can immediately shift
a group of unconnected individuals into a cohesive, safe, engaged,
learning community. Studies show that when the sense of community
goes up, learning does as well.
PRESENTER SUPPORT
EffectiveArts will support your presenters with live interactive
drama. We create scenarios that bring your presenters' topics to
life. By creating scenes and “seeding” them with elements
from your presenter’s presentation, we can illustrate key
concepts, demonstrate skills, or enact scenes workshop attendees
to participate in, or to discuss and debate. Pick a few key presenters,
or offer EffectiveArts support as a general conference service.
We will work through you, or directly with your presenters, before
the conference to integrate our work into the sessions.
SKILLS-BUILDING WORKSHOPS
You can choose from our broad array of existing workshops and offer
one or more at your conference. For example, given that most professions
are improvisational in nature, our “X as Improvisation”
workshops (e.g., “Social Work as Improv,” “Management
as Improv,” etc.) are VERY well received (a recent EffectiveArts
improv workshop for the National Association for Social Workers
annual conference received a 4.6/5.0 overall rating, and at another
workshop 100% of the participants rated it as either “Very
valuable” (86%) or “Valuable” (14%)). Other topics
include Crucial Interactions
(high-stakes, high -emotions interactions that staff have with their
stakeholders), Organization-as-Community
(fostering a sense of community in the workplace), and Interacting
with the Press (having media interactions work during times of crisis).
“PRACTICE” SESSIONS
Often conference attendees walk away with really attractive ringbinders
full of really good information that will unfortunately
immediately be put upon the shelf when they reach their offices.
This is at least partially due to what we at EffectiveArts call
the “first step barrier.” Information is just information
until it’s used for the first time.
And often, taking the first step is not easy, especially on the
job, in real-time, with real people. EffectiveArts provides Laboratories
with No Consequences™ to allow conference participants
a chance to practice their new ideas, in a safe and controlled space,
so that the first step at their workplace isn’t their first
step anymore. Practice Sessions are offered in conjunction with
but at separate times from the workshops they are linked to.
MEMORABLE CAPSTONE CONFERENCE CLOSERS
The last workshop is over, your attendees have a briefcase full
of business cards and a stack of presentation outlines. How do you
wrap up the conference and send them off inspired with a sense that
they have had an important shared experience? How do you make your
conference truly memorable?
EffectiveArts will create a closing performance customized to your
conference. Our directors attend key conference sessions and gather
poignant moments and powerful images. Then, the directors work with
our skilled performers to weave the moments together as a final
conference session -- a tapestry of collected moments that memorably
speaks the shared experience of the conference and illuminates the
vision for the future. Attendees report that the conference closer
is still vivid years later.
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