Training Magazine - June 2008 - (Page 61)

pushed more efficiently through e-mail or other means. Instead, companies should make the most of face-to-face time by using it for networking or building company spirit or, as eLynx did, for establishing a purposeful conversation. THE “UNCONFERENCE” Traditionally,“interaction usually only happens in the social settings,” notes Mary Boone, president, Boone Associates. “Social interaction is essential to building relationships, but the real power of meetings is in adding purposeful interaction…that generates and captures ideas all the participants and the leadership can act on to produce powerful results.” To foster purposeful interactions, companies increasingly are sampling the “unconference” approach, notes Stacey Krizan, CEO at the WOW Factory in Atlanta. “There’s no graphics support, no preconceived plan, and no designated speaker,” she explains. That’s a brave tack. Execs think, “What happens if you plan a meeting and no one talks?” Hall says. In practice, Boone says, that is not a problem. In preparation for the Meeting Professionals Unconference, “we put up a Wiki ‘Conversation Cafes’ site” that corresponds to “Unconference Boulevard”—actual meeting rooms and tables—at the conference. Conference participants may post questions related to the four conference themes or to a miscellaneous category, and reserve tables for the actual discussion. Topics may be added at the meeting, too. So a participant ambling along “Unconference Boulevard” or checking the wiki site may see that the topic, “How to increase interaction at international meetings,” will be discussed at Table 12 at 8:45 a.m. INTRA-COMPANY TRADE SHOWS a solution, and invariably someone will discuss his or her implementation of an eLynx application. Those conversations also may uncover the need for a new product or service,“so let’s go build it,” Pelsey says. “This approach gives customers a voice,” and adds value to the conference for participants and for eLynx, by discussing real world-issues and solutions that result in practical insights. Pelsey used a similar approach to blend two disparate sales forces after a corporate acquisition. After three days of discussions and role-playing—but only five slides—the two sales forces began to understand each other and see how they could work together successfully. For many companies, though, the need for a meeting isn’t evident.“Many smart people schedule a meeting and then think, ‘Now we have to get content,’” notes Kevan Hall, CEO of Global Integration and author of “Speed Lead.” What’s better is to identify a business need for a meeting first. Face-to-face meetings arranged for the sole purpose of disseminating information are a waste of time, Hall insists, because information can be Another way to increase interaction among conference participants and simultaneously break the cycle of “death by PowerPoint,” Hall says, is to host intra-company trade shows. Divisions or departments within the company can set up booths, tabletop displays, posters, or other ways to share information. Participants gravitate to the information they find most useful or interesting. Robin Janzen, president of Meetings Corporate, likes to include a company’s business partners in the mini-trade, show, too. That allows effective, tried-and-tested solutions to be expanded for use in multiple departments. That approach can showcase best practices, new products— ideally with hands-on demos—and answer questions about policies and procedures. Such opportunities can increase employees’ understanding of what their company actually does and why it matters, and provide the cross-fertilization to help colleagues find untapped business synergisms. Instead of a trade show, 30-employee Advisys (formerly Kettley), a publisher of point-of-sale consumer information materials for the financial industry, accomplishes similar results by hosting monthly luncheons for the entire company in its conference room or outdoors.“This is a social event where people w w w. t r a i n i n g m a g . c o m t r a i n i n g JUNE 2008 | 61 http://www.trainingmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Training Magazine - June 2008

Training Magazine - June 2008 Contents Online TOC Editor’s Note Live & Online Training Today Soapbox How-To World View Changes With Penguins Keeping Forced Ranking Out of Court Across the Board Certify Me Meetings CPR How Secure Is Your Data? Training Leadership Summit Wrap-Up Tools of the Trade Inprint Questions for Covey

Training Magazine - June 2008

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