Leading Learning By Jeffrey Cufaude

Over andOut

Conference-improvement ideas don’t come with ‘use-by’ expiration dates —but maybe they should.

EverywhereI look inmyrefrigerator, I get guid- ance. The milk carton has a deadline for using its contents. The bag of coffee beans tellsmethe day they were roasted. The fresh herbs informmethey are best if used by a specific date. Deadlines. Freshness indicators. Expiration

dates. Food packaging makes things explicit. Unfortunately,wedon’t have such a clear directive about the shelf life for ideas.Asa result, by the time some are used, their freshness and full value are diminished. Since 2004, I’ve been able to use thismonthly

forumtoshare fresh thinkingonleading learning in meeting and conference design. Before my own expiration date came due, I decided to relinquish this space so thatafresh perspective could take over. Thiswill bemy finalLeadingLearning column. In reviewing the past seven years of columns

written and conferences attended, it’s easy to see progress, but I worry it is too little, occurring too

Minus theMass Appeal

In We Are All Weird, Seth Godin writes, “I’ve started using the word ‘factory’ to define any organizational effort that’s built around repeated interactions and mass. If you need a map and a manual, it’s probably because you’re creating a business or a campaign that’s based on a factory. If exceptions are a problem, it’s probably because you’re doing factory work.” We say our meetings and conferences are about learning, yet a more accurate description

would be “cost-effective transmission of information to the greatest number of people possible” by volunteer presenters who may or may not know anything about adult learning.We really do want to meet member needs, but tend to approach doing so through mass aggregation of mar- keting data, not the facilitation of individual connections and value being made and received. In general, it has worked for a very long time without too many complaints. But the expiration

date on the factory approach to associating is starting to come due. —Excerpted from Jeffrey Cufaude’s blog. Read the entire post at http://bit.ly/factory-post.

slowly. We definitely know better, but we often aren’t doing better, and that is the only thing—the execution of good ideas—that delivers value to participants. So many logistics are still poorly managed, it is maddening: morning breakfasts that are all carbs andnoprotein; afternoon breaks that are all sugar and caffeine; roomsets that allow for little interac- tion or feeling of community; slides with excessive type, bad clip art, and jumbo conference graphics; session descriptions thatdon’tmatchthe actual learn- ing experience; and on-site registration areas that have all thewarmthandwelcoming feel of a Satur- day afternoon at a Costco warehouse store. These issues and many more need to be dis-

cussed. Planners like listsandseemto love checking things off.Somake better lists, ones thatensure each and every conference element reflects the very best ofwhatwealreadyknowto be true.And one thing must always be at the top of our lists—something

Jeffrey Cufaude is a former higher- education administrator, meeting planner, and association executive. Currently he designs and presents high-impact learning experiences, including engaging conference keynotes and workshops. Learn more about his work atwww.idea architects.org or follow him atwww.twitter .com/jcufaude.

ON_THE_WEB: Hack your own thinking and shake things up at MIX, the Management Innovation eXchange (www.management exchange.com), a site where some of the best minds discuss how to reinvent management.

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pcma convene December 2011

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ILLUSTRATION BY JEAN TUTTLE