Have you attended a research workshop that managed to deepen teachers’ understanding of the topic while also encouraging new students to interact with speakers? When you hosted a previous career group, were you able to intentionally have moderate conversations with professionals from different fields while also allowing accidental tangents inspired by audience problems?
Higher education is full of gatherings designed to attract a wide range of audiences and deepen understanding of a variety of topics. It is not easy to host and promote these gatherings (whether it is a large-scale meeting, interactive workshop discussion or weekly team meetings with office staff) and few guides are available.
Priya Parker The art of gathering (Riverhead, 2018) is the guide. Reading it has influenced my view on the organization and promotion of seminars, events and group meetings for graduate and postdoctoral students.
Reflecting ahead to define the purpose of the event, intent to invite, understanding your role as a host and ending a good role can enhance professional gatherings and even make a simple workshop more meaningful.
Establishment Purpose
Alums are coming to visit your department: Your first thought is: “They should give the department workshop!” I did the same, but that’s not the starting point. When choosing the type of event you want, don’t confuse it with intent.
Applying a purpose filter to an activity plan will help indicate the format to best meet your specific goals. If a situation requires achieving many goals, consider creating multiple avenues to address these different purposes and audiences. If your intentions are too broad, no one will feel that this event is right for them.
Perhaps alum visits are a great opportunity for graduate students to learn about alternative career paths. With this purpose in mind, roundtable discussions may be a more efficient format. Perhaps alums are stars in the field and teachers will want to learn about their research. In this case, the best seminar is the best. Perhaps alum makes it big in the business world, and the department is looking for new donors. Maybe lab or building tours and one-on-one meetings can achieve this.
Clear invitation
There is no activity to please everyone, and that should not be the goal. We should not discriminate in invitations, but consider protecting those attending the meeting. In the example above, if the purpose of visiting the department is for career development programs and exposes trainees to a unique career path, invitations and advertising should be consistent with that purpose.
Intentional invitations can even begin earlier when contacting a speaker or group member. If you think department workshops should focus on allowing participants to share their research, inviting alumni from the department to talk about their current research may enhance this intention. Careful consideration and contacting potential guests requires first understanding of the purpose.
Another element of invitation is physical logistics: the number of people participating in the setting of the venue, where. Again, these should be affected by the meeting goals. A roundtable discussion limited to 20 people may be more conducive to learners about the alum’s career journey. By contrast, a large, high-capacity lecture hall would be more suitable if the speaker had a groundbreaking research presentation.
As Parker wrote: “Gatherings make everyone happen, but they are rarely excited. A gathering that is willing to estrange themselves – this is with exist Alien – There are better opportunities to dazzle. “Anyone can see the seminar poster hanging in the lobby and decide to be clear about the content and the invitation is specific enough that the guest understands the purpose of the seminar.
Interested host
I have been organizing events for advanced ED for years. But until recently, I didn’t understand the power and influence of the master. I have been working hard to oversee all logistics and ensure a solid schedule for many years, but once the event started, I took a way to let go so as not to disturb the guest experience. I have realized that the abdicated host power is actually counterproductive to try to be easy-going.
From the first announcement email to when people enter the room, the host sets up the stage. Rules and limitations are necessary and appreciated. Having generous authority allows people to know what will happen early. This can be achieved by finding the right balance of warmth and order – by developing a way to gather confidently and guide the boat while selflessly protecting the connection and experience of guests. The host cannot control this situation, but is responsible for creating a container for the experience extension.
Through workshops and group discussions, the moderator is crucial to planning the process of the conversation. If multiple people are on the panel, clearly solving your problem and guiding commands can relieve the speaker and create less tension. Having this power may feel uncomfortable, but it is not the time to give up on it.
Listen carefully to the speakers and gain insight into the audience and energy flow when hosting a Q&A or panel discussion. It’s tricky to summarize and synthesize what’s said, transitioning to new topics, and keeping momentum as everyone’s eyes turn to you.
Being a host is vulnerable to injury and is a responsibility from beginning to end.
End Strong
People often remember the beginning and end of something (movies, speeches, events) at most. Ending strong means making the event memorable. As a host, you have built this container for others to learn and connect. You have thought of all the logistical details and bring a journey for speakers and listeners. It’s time to notice how you end up by facilitating looking inward and turning outward.
Looking inward is about asking guests to reflect on what they have learned or experienced. If you have been adjusting for group discussions, ask a last question that needs reflection. Ask speakers to reiterate one thing they want everyone to take away from the meeting. Technology makes it easier to ask for an audience interaction. Ask everyone to share a lesson, or how they feel now. You can enter a chat box for online activities in the chat box, or you can submit it using programs such as Slido. The purpose is to synthesize space.
Turning outward involves encouraging everyone to bring experience back to the world. Ask the audience: “What is one action you intend to do this?” or ask the speaker to suggest the next small step someone can take. Help the audience bring what they have learned to others outside the event. Remind everyone about the purpose of the party, what achievements have been made and where they can go from here.
After the event is over, there are several ways to continue to respond inward and outward. Follow-up thank you letters and feedback forms can be ways to encourage participants to look inward and provide ideas for the future. Providing any resource or content from an event can help the audience turn outward and use their learning in the real world.
When you build timely defining the purpose of a party, incorporate intentional invitations and pay attention to the influence of being a host, you can shape events from beginning to end and revolutionize our connection. These are the first steps to perform a procedure or event from regular to meaningful planning or event.
What is the upcoming party of one of the four principles you are about to hold?
