Meetings

Daily Buzz: Define Your Meeting’s Story Arc

Set a narrative to your conference that is both challenging and meaningful to attendees to boost participation. Also: build up culture to increase profitability.

Meeting planners, who are always looking for new ways to engage attendees, should take a lesson from the TV shows they watch and infuse a story arc into their conference. A story arc is a continuous storyline that unfolds over time—it’s what keeps people watching episode to episode.

“You can use the story arc concept to carefully craft the messages and issues you want your conference participants to explore, experience and learn,” says Jeff Hurt in a post on the Velvet Chainsaw blog. “All stories have a beginning, middle, and end. And all stories have a challenge that must be resolved. Where the challenge is introduced, explored, and resolved is defined in your story arc.”

The key, says Hurt, is to set a narrative framework that is meaningful without offering a resolution to the challenge.

“Your conference narrative can serve as a call to action for your participants to play a pivotal role in resolving that challenge personally and professionally,” he says. “It’s important for them to share the opportunity and the benefits of the resolution of the challenge. As more people join in the quest to solve the narrative’s challenge, everyone wins.”

Use Culture to Increase Productivity

Your organization’s culture plays an important role in its productivity. When workers feel valued and motivated, output is better. Executives agree: More than 50 percent say building up company culture can increase profitability, according to research from Columbia Business School.

Poor communication, resistance to change, and toxic workers can all prevent formation of a positive culture, says Sabrina Gregrow in a post on the WebScribble blog. To transform how you and your team work, start with where you’re at. Analyze current processes, and talk about how you want to change.

“Your association’s culture shift does not have to mean the end of what it once was,” says Gregrow. “But if you work to reinvent the way your culture is perceived by both staff and members, you could have a successful environment for productivity and progression on your hands.”

Other Links of Note

The one data strategy often overlooked: customer surveys. Stanford Social Innovation Review explains how nonprofits can leverage them.

LinkedIn Learning will now offer third-party content and interactive Q&As in an effort to aid professional development, says TechCrunch.

Establishing relationships in a digital world isn’t always easy. Forbes gives tips on how to do it.

(surasaki/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Jeff Hsin

By Jeff Hsin

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