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When did a pad of paper become a 'learning journal'?
By Ed Bernacki, The Idea Factory
About 10 years ago we were asked to find ideas to make conferences more effective by the Editor-in-chief of Inc. Magazine. He saw the futility of speaking at conferences when so few people use their notes after a conference - much less act on their ideas. He challenged us to create ideas to solve this paradox.
We concluded that most people lack the 'skills' to be effective conference participants. Perhaps a strange conclusion but it did not seem to matter what the education level or executive level of a conference is, people rarely invest the time to:
- make effective 'notes',
- reflect on these notes after the event, and
- convert them into ideas for action.
We were given blank pads of paper in school! Yet this is what people often still get a conference.
We think you should set your target high. Your audience deserves more than a pad of paper. The Idea Factory created a range of specialized conference journals to achieve these objectives. They can make a difference.
In 2006 the American Society of Association Executives used 700 Navigator Guides at its Great Ideas conference. In its post conference evaluation it found these impressive results:
- 86% of people said they would keep it for reference,
- 73% of people used the Conference Navigator Guides,
- 56% said the guides were either "very or extremely" important to their participation in the conference, and
- 46% said it influenced their participation in the conference.
I was intrigued that so many people said it influenced their behavior at the conference. This is stunning. Consider if 46% of your members or audience act on one more idea as a result of a tool you provide that would not have happened without it. Imagine too, the value of sponsorship if 86% of your members take the journal home.
Whether you are interested in Navigator Guides or in creating your own journals, here are some guidelines:
Three objectives of a Navigator Journal:
- Help participants identify more ideas at your conference.
- Prompt people to manage their ideas into results after the event.
- Enhance the reputation of your association and sponsors.
The editor of Inc. looked at idea we proposed for Inc. Magazine conferences and loved the idea. The editor worked with a sponsor and ordered 4000 copies. In retrospect, he said, "Once in a while a new idea surfaces that makes me wonder...Why didn't I think of that? That's precisely the effect you have had on me."
Questions to consider when developing your "journals"
What do you think people want to achieve from the conference?
Think through your event and consider how participants should listen, engage and participate. What do you want them to capture?
- They can capture 'questions" which they can ask back at work or think more about later.
- They can capture 'quotes', such as something a speaker says or references to websites or books.
- They can capture 'insights' or ideas that have value right away.
- They can capture 'actions' that they want to enact after your event.
I have worked with numerous Associations to create pages specific to the theme of the event and can share some examples with you (email info@wowgreatidea.com for a PDF).
How do you want people to use the journal after the conference?
The design and shape of your journal should prompt people to take it home. Do not make it easy to file or worse, put on a bookshelf (as it will stay there forever). Build something into your journals to prompt people to use it again.
A blank pad of paper rarely achieves these objectives. Help people get more value from your conferences by creating useful tools that create value. This is the best strategy to have them return in the future.
Further reference:
Review "Rule 7: "Assume your conference participants have weak skills for participating in a conference" of "Seven Rules for Designing More Innovative Conferences". I provide a full list of skills that will make people more effective in the way they listen, engage and debrief after the conference.
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