Many event pros agree that educating and engaging attendees at a conference is crucial. Nevertheless, it’s with the “how” that self-described “meeting redesigner” Adrian Segar takes issue.

In his new event planning guide, The Power of Participation, Segar argues the best conferences are those that are participation-driven as opposed to a more traditional lecture style.

In an interview with Collaborate magazine’s Kelsey Ogletree, Segar previews some of the most important lessons from his book.

Segar suggests organizations have attendees engage in activities that push them to figure out what they hope to gain from the conference.

“You have participants sitting in a circle and give them three questions on a card,” Segar explained. “They share their experience with the whole group and . . . at the end of that session, they have a ton of valuable information.”

In addition, he said that a big problem is when planners try to find “good speakers,” as opposed to good presenters.

“The term ‘speaker’ indicates someone who is speaking during a session while everyone else is listening,” he noted. “A presenter presents content and then gives the audience opportunities to work on that content.”

If you want to hear some more of Segar’s ideas, you can read the entire interview here.

Tweet of the Day

Talking like a pirate (on Int'l Talk Like a Pirate Day) is cool, but acting like one is not – see #TechTerm for more pic.twitter.com/lU374CTHq4

— The App Association (@actonline) September 15, 2015

In honor of national Talk Like a Pirate Day, which is September 19, The App Association (ACT) would like to alert all ye potential sea dogs about the dangers of app piracy. While swashbuckling and hoarding treasure is a fine pirate practice, ACT is sending a warning to all would-be thieves that commandeering an application illegally will get you a one-way ticket to Davy Jones’ Locker.

Other Good Reads

Is your organization advertising online? If so, you may be using your efforts unwisely, due to the rise of ad blockers. A recent piece from The Awl discusses how the online ad environment is shifting.

If online ads are suddenly a bad idea, an alternative strategy might be to focus on digital marketing. Entrepreneur has 15 tips to get you started.

Are social media outlets replacing NGOs? As the power of the hashtag continues to grow, some, like GeekSnack‘s Charlotte Banks, think nongovernmental organizations are on their way out.

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