The ”Learning Meeting” and Simple Techniques for Participant Involvement

The ”Learning Meeting” and Simple Techniques for Participant Involvement

• Ib Ravn and Nina Tange Learning Lab Denmark, Danish School of Edcuation, Aarhus University, www.dpu.dk/fv

• MPI PEC-NA, Houston, TX, USA Feb. 3, 2008

1. The Professional Conference: Problems

• The way it is Drawbacks

• One-way presentations Most people are two-way

• Sit and listen Use it or lose it

• Q and A ”See me!” ”I’m clever, too!”

• Breakouts Mini-conferences

• Panels Congestion on One-way Street

• Networking? You’re on your own!

2. The Empty-Container Model of Learning

3. Learning as Human Co-Flourishing

• People have potentials, interests, projects. They want to flourish

• They go to conferences to get inspired by others

• The conference as a forum for learning, mutual inspiration and human co-flourishing

4. Design Principles for a Learning Meeting

• .

5. The Design Principles (for your own reading)

• Concise presentations. Fewer, shorter, more provocative.

• Active interpretation. There must be processes that help participants actively relate what they hear to their own experience. Time to digest, think and talk.

• Self-formulation. There must be opportunities in pairs and small groups for people to talk about the personal interests and projects that brought them to the conference in the first place.

• Networking and knowledge sharing. Facilitated activities that help participants discover each other as resources.

• Competent facilitation. The facilitator must create a safe and trusting learning atmosphere where people will want to go along with the new learning processes.

6. Research into the Learning Meeting

• Learning Lab Denmark with Radisson SAS, Nyborg Strand, Odense Congress Center, Hotel Legoland and Danske Bank

• 18 months. Funded by Danish Ministry of Economics

• 30 meetings and conferences (100-300 people)

• Corporate, association, professional education

• We redesigned the program with meeting planners and coached meeting facilitators

• Observations and measures of subjective outcomes

7. Learning Techniques Tested

• Concise presentation: Break it in two. Do it as an interview.

• Active interpretation: Mini-dialogue. The constructive opening question. Silent reflection. Question cards. The speaker’s cornered.

• Self-formulation: Participants direct the speaker. Two consultants, free of charge. Participant construction.

• Networking: Meet people. Six-person tables. Find a new seat. A networking lunch.

8. Research Results

• Mostly small changes proved possible

• But they made a big difference

• Generally, 60-70% of participants were satisfied

• 5-10% were dissatisfied: “The professional movie theater”

• Meeting planners and hosts were highly satisfied

• Mini-meetings almost always successful

• The facilitator must be attentive, trustworthy and persuasive

• Progression and variation

• Kinds of folks that like learning processes…

• Cultural factors: Danish egalitarianism!!

9. Question for Your Consideration

• What inspired you in the presentation?

• Think in silence for a minute

• Tell the person sitting next to you

10. Learning Techniques Used

• Meet people: Mingle to create a friendly learning space (56)

• Divorce your colleague: Everyone makes an effort with a stranger (58)

• Short presentation, or break it in two: Enhances attention (64)

• Constructive opening question: What inspired you in the presentation?

• Silent reflection: Jot down your thoughts (70)

• Mini-dialog: Share with your neighbor (72)

• Sample the answers: Produces inspiration and energy (76)

• Speaker’s cornered: Q & A in the lobby minimizes irrelevance (80)

• How to use today’s input + First steps: Learning and action (86)

11. Task for Triads

• How can I use this in my own work?

• Help each other decide on a couple of first steps

• Think for a minute

• Form triads

• Present and get feedback; all of you (taps on glass)

12. Resources on Learning Meetings

• Steen Elsborg and Ib Ravn: Learning Meetings and Conferences in Practice. People’s Press, Copenhagen, 2007, 92 pp.

• Ib Ravn and Steen Elsborg: Creating Learning at Conferences Through Participant Involvement (paper with research results, www.dpu.dk/om/ibr, click Publications)

• The Learning Meeting Module: Web-supported tool for meeting planners, with facilitator’s manuscript and individualized learning cards for participants (www.ims.dk)

• Ib Ravn: The Learning Conference, journal article (www.dpu.dk/om/ibr)

• Ib Ravn: The Learning Meeting, brief magazine article (www.bbt.be/Library/guest/guests012006.cfm, a magazine article)