Are your corporate events lacking that little somethin’?
The tactics for communicating at your corporate events have changed a lot. From bull horns, to megaphones, to microphones…mankind has always made a way for the audience to hear their voice.
Technology has really captured the science of sound waves and continues to fine tune the methods for voice’s to be heard in amazing ways.
CPG wants to whisper this in your ear though – no matter how loud you are – your audience will only process what they hear through connection and well planned strategies for
engaging your employees. These 5 methods no longer work, so save yourself the
mistake of having these at your event.
What no longer works at corporate events
1. Monotone Lectures
The single speaker reading off note cards or even lecturing from memory doesn’t hold the audience’s attention long enough to create experiential engagement. Even if the topic is great, today’s modern audience has a short attention span and wants to be part of the event in multiple ways through participation, fun, and stimulation.
Effective communication at corporate events is not possible without connecting to the person.
2. Power Point Slides Against the White Background
Facts & data standing staunchly against the suspended white board encourages boredom like no other.
While content slides are pretty much a requirement, that doesn’t mean you need to adhere to outdated formats. Get creative with it! Add some color and a dash of humor. People learn best and retain what they are learning in a fun environment.
Let the images and messages interact with the audience. That visual stimulation brings energy and excitement to your audience.
3. Same Old Venue
When conference education looks and feels repetitious – the mind pays less attention.
For an exciting and effective corporate event production, change the venue. Not just the location – change everything about it! Audience members need stimulation in order to learn and be productive.
Break out sessions promote real time learning, but don’t pull in the reins on your
breakout design. Make it so delicious that participants will want to unpack what they learned instead of leaving it in their mental waste basket.
4. Audience without Participation
The tactic of having a speaker and a listening only audience has lost its power. The audience is waiting for their invitation to participate.
In fact, interactivity is one of the key adult learning tactics out there. If you’re an event producer or event director, you’re selling yourself short if you aren’t engaging your audience by making them stand up and shake their bodies around.
Invite them and feel the atmosphere change.
5. Basic RSVP
Have you ever wondered why you and only a few others are at this fabulous corporate event? Everything was checked off, in place, and rather exciting…you thought. The
days of sending out an RSVP slip and expecting the crowd…is in the past.
Change the RSVP of the past into something like this:
Registration Setup Early
Set yourself up for Success!
Venue Surprise
Provide Teaser Content
Plan. Prepare strategically with your RSVP…and they will come.
Technology has Changed the Way we Experience Things
We experience life on the screen with family & friends…sharing pictures and moments – with those that live at the opposite end of the world.
We browse online instead of window shopping. Some may not physically shop at brick & mortar stores but purchase online and have it delivered the same day to their front door.
Differences in Consumer & Audience Behavior in Recent Decades
Consumer’s today is like the audience at the corporate event – they are not sit-down shopper’s…they want to participate.
In the past decades the consumer shopped from displays at brick & mortar stores with no input. Today the consumer designs the display. Companies encourage insight from their buyers so that they may provide what they desire. It’s a “win-win.”
Audiences in the past were listener’s and note takers. Today, audiences want to engage experientially and share insights that will benefit not only themselves but the company. Through internal communication relationships are built – and so are successful companies.
Pre-Event Engagement
There was a time when you didn’t know who was calling when the phone rang. A time when you opened the mailbox – and surprise! – a letter from your favorite person that you had been missing.
The build up for Christmas! The excitement! The mystery!
Anticipation! Surprise!
Combine these elements and woo your employees through
pre-event engagement.
Closing the Conference
In one year, employees may not remember all that was presented at the conference, but they will remember how it made them feel.
Enhance your
closing with something to delight their memory and your annual conference or convention will find a place on your employees’ calendar next year.