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You have surely participated in a conference where the content of the speakers seemed difficult to digest, the attention was harder to capture and the outcome after the event tended towards zero.
We will approach this topic in a positive manner, offering some possibilities for improving the content of the speakers’ presentations. In our portfolio of corporate events we also meet corporate conferences. And as we really like to accept the challenges of large-scale events, we have come across situations where a 2-day conference with 500 participants needs improvements in terms of presentation design – and here we are not referring to the design per se, but to the flow or way of presentation.
I was talking in a previous article about Effective Learning and how important is the design of an event so that the entire content is assimilated by the participants. So, here are some alternatives to the classic Power Point projected on a screen, with many slides and a duration far too long for the attention and patience of the participants.
Short (May) Sessions
Shorter sessions, more varied and followed by breaks.
Instead of 50-minute sessions, organize shorter sessions of a few minutes, use an interactive event application to collect questions from the room, and afterwards the speaker reserves 10 minutes for to answer them. An alternative, in order to encourage human interaction, would be that after the presentation of just a few minutes, the interested participants are invited to a room for a “break-out session” in which they have the possibility to interact with the speaker or to network with the other participants.
If each speaker is given 15 minutes of presentation, not only does he concentrate on his entire content in this time, but also the attention of the participants is dedicated to those 15 minutes.
Also in this category, we also mention the format of type presentations PechaKucha 20×20, Ted Talk sessions (including a red carpet) or Ignite Talks .
Poster Sessions
To encourage the above point, we recommend Poster Sessions. Each speaker creates a single poster to present his topic. He has a few minutes (5-7 minutes) and afterwards he can ask questions from the audience or retire to a breakout room to spend time with those interested in the topic addressed.
We encourage e-posters, not only because we eliminate the print and the difficulty of transporting them, but there is the possibility of subsequent changes and rapid transition between speakers.
Interactive Sessions with several Speakers
They have the format of the famous panels. Several speakers are invited on stage, an MC moderates the session and the audience can interact with them through an event application. The speakers can have short presentations before the panel or they can present their area of expertise at the beginning of the session. For such sessions, we encourage the use of the event application, the content being very easily customized and directed by the participants through questions. The learning process in such a session is very fast, and the feedback is positive.
In Conclusion
The success of an event depends on a lot of variables – from location, to the agenda, activations or present speakers. The purpose of an internal corporate event is for the participants to assimilate a fairly large volume of information, that’s why you need to use the appropriate method for them to be a win-win. And, for example, to increase the interest and interaction between participants in your event, you can find some solutions in the article 4 Quick Methods to Increase Attendee Engagement.