Keynote Speaking

Keynote speaking: In the past few weeks I’ve been inundated with keynote speakers. My own company (eCollege) had our biggest user conference ever – 470 people. And as you would expect, we bring in speakers other than myself  (I do emcee the event all week.) So, I heard two different keynote speakers last week. As well, I was one of two keynote speakers at the Iowa Community College Online Consortium this week. Finally, I was able to attend a conference two weeks ago with yet another speaker.

While listening to these great colleagues, it occurred to me that a lot of conference planners don’t necessarily talk through the type of message they would like delivered by featured speakers. In fairness, some speakers don’t give that kind of option to conference planners, although if they were interested in true audience analysis, they would!

So, I have assembled a set of speech “types” that might be nice to think about from a keynote (or any speaking) perspective. See what you think…

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The specific subject matter expert – Ideally, every keynote speaker is an expert in something. But there are certain occasions when a conference, graduation, or speaking situation needs an expert in something quite specific. For example, at an engineering conference, they may be looking for a famous engineer or someone who has innovated engineering principles, versus a motivational “non-engineer” expert.

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The comedian – Sometimes, a group just wants funny. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with funny! Maybe there is a theme for the event, like music or an action (ie, sales). (Speaking of music, it’s my opinion that MTV is to music as KFC is to chicken…) Other times, there is NO theme – the audience just wants to be entertained. This can be through any means necessary – like this headline: “Miners Refuse to Work after Death.” They key for conference planners here is how “blue” they are comfortable with. They could hire a stand-up comic, but they may get more than they bargained for with language or allusion! But funny is always a crowd pleaser.

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The researcher – I had the pleasure of listening to Ray Kurzweil a few years ago. The guy is the ultimate futurist and had some amazing stuff to tell us about technology, where he felt we were headed, and how. His message was highly interesting for sure, although it lacked a certain depth regarding how regular people listen to an uber-geek. Some at the conference loved him while others felt the information was over their heads. The key here is to level set the audience ahead of time and match your presenter to their needs. Researchers can have amazing information, but that doesn’t mean they can present it effectively!

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The creative – This can encompass a broad range of speakers, from motivational to humorist to topical. They are often brought in simply to energize, focus, or entertain. They may incorporate magic, stories, jokes, costumes, readings, and video, but they are supposed to be entertaining to the crowd. Luckily there are some great creative types out there for almost any occasion!

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So, as you get ready to find a speaker or perhaps you’re getting ready to speak. These are important elements of audience analysis that should enter the conversation! What does the planner expect? What does the audience expect? What does the organization (read: money controller) expect? It’s good to know these things as you move into an hour of presentation that can often make or break your conference.

I have to end with a quick shout out to Mark Milliron and Ken Robinson – the speaker’s at our CiTE conference last week. Great presenters both, they are as different as night and day. And both of them hit the mark. Thanks gentlemen.

 

(If you are looking for a SME around education, communication, or organization / if you need a humorist, a creative, or a storyteller / or if you just want someone to provide some comic relief for your event or conference,  contact Jeff at jborden@jeffpresents.com)

Fallacies

Fallacies in Reasoning: Today I came home to find my wife in a bit of a tizzy.  No, I hadn’t forgotten to take out the trash…I’m getting better at that!  She had watched NBC’s Today Show about 10 hours earlier, and she was FUMING!  The subject was a pretty touchy one for a lot of parents – although the Today Show didn’t really provide both sides of the issue, making it seem like it should be a non-issue altogether.  The issue was regarding childhood immunizations. 

As a family that has been leveled by chronic illness, and as a family dedicated to education, you can bet that my wife and I have researched a great deal about how to raise our daughter to give her the best chance at a healthy life.  For those of you who don’t know, Keena (my wife) has a very bad case of Crohn’s disease – it almost killed her about four years ago.  While we’re certainly not doctors, we have learned a LOT about medicine, the medical community, and advice in the past half decade.  And unfortunately, a lot of that can be summed up by one word: fallacies.

Case in point – Dr. Nancy Snyderman.  She’s actually the NBC News Chief Medical Correspondent.  So, you’d think that her arguments would be carefully constructred and would point out both sides of an issue, while explaining how one side was better or stronger.  You’d think.  Keena and I watched the webcast of the story tonight and Dr. Snyderman (as well as a pediatric hospital doctor) used fallacious arguments over and over again, with nobody there to stop them!  (What happened Matt Lauer???  I thought reporters didn’t put up with that kind of thing?!)  Here are a few fallacies from the good doctors in this particular story. 

1. There is no evidence to prove that immunizations can hurt children, therefore parents should get them.  The Greeks would have cried, “Argumentum ad ignorantiam (argument to ignorance).” This is the fallacy of assuming something is true simply because it hasn’t been proven false.  Does anyone remember when eggs were bad for you?  Then, remember that they were good for you?  Oh, and then they were bad for you again?  I’m actually not sure where we are in that cycle.  Or how about a high fat diet being assumed to cause obesity?  Now, we know that you can eat an all fat diet and lose weight.  (I realize you wouldn’t be healthy, but technically it can produce weight loss…)  Scientists go with the facts they have at the time – as they should!  We can only use the information we have.  But, to say that immunizations don’t cause yeast overgrowth, bowel disorders, or Down’s Syndrome because we haven’t proven it yet…that’s not only fallacious, it’s ignorant.

2. Dr. Synderman goes on to say that it is a parent’s responsibility to think more of the collective, than of their child.  How unfortunate!  Becuase I know there are mom’s out there who don’t know any better and now the Today show has just told them not to research this serious issue, instead going for the Nike slogan of old: Just Do It!  Do you feel it’s a parent’s job to look out for the best interest of their child or of their neighbor’s child?  (Ok, maybe this isn’t a fallacy – it’s just a bad argument.)

3. The good doctors continue with their poor reasoning skills by explaining that there are more doctors in favor of immunizations than those who are against it.  This would be the Argumentum ad populum (argument to the public). This is the fallacy that the more people who support or believe a proposition, the more likely that proposition is to be correct.  You’ve probably heard this before, “Eat fish three times a day – 1 Billion Chinese people can’t be wrong!”

4. Dr. Snyderman goes on to say that the Federal Government has said that these vaccinations are safe.  Unfortunately, this could be classified as a red herring fallacy.  Why?  Because the government isn’t always right and to ascert otherwise is foolish.  Plus, there are a number of other issues at play with the government.  Imagine if they came out and said, “Uh oh…we were wrong!  Stop giving the MMR to children as it causes autism!”  Do you know how many lawsuits there would be against doctors, pharmacies, and the government? 

5. Finally, the Today Show itself proposes a Slippery Slope fallacy.  They talk about an outbreak in San Diego of 12 kids with the Measles.  Yes, I said 12.  Is it strange to hear about 12?  Absolutely!  Is 12 statistically significant in any way?  Nope.  12 kids in San Diego is less than .0000017 percent of the population of kids.  Don’t even try to figure it out with regard to the US population of kids.  But, the Today Show reports that number as if it were half the population.  The one tidbit of balance in the story was a ten second interview with a doctor who describes the odds that a child in the US will have autism being 1 in 150.  If you’re going to force me to play roulette with my daughter’s life, I like my chances with 12 out of 70,000,000 versus 1 out of 150.

Do you see how frustrating it is to experience fallacious arguments?  They’re everywhere!  But what’s worse is that sometimes they are convincing, even when they are wrong.  I’m discouraged to think of the thousands of parents who watched the Today Show this morning and are armed with bad advice and no information the next time they take their kids to the doctor’s office for shots.  It’s a serious issue that requires research, thought, and discussion with medical professionals that you trust, not a six minute video segment on a morning show. 

With that I’ll leave you so that I can go calm Keena down.  I think she’s writing a letter to the Today Show so I should probably just take her some tea…

(If you would like a speaker for your conference on persuasion, argumentation, fallacies, reasoning – or if you just need a speaker for your organization’s teaching / training needs, contact Jeff at jborden@jeffpresents.com)

Serious Games

Want To Play A Game: So, I’m sitting on the 18th floor of my hotel room in Honolulu typing this blog.  Wow, technology is cool.  I can see a submarine taking tourists around the bay.  I can see wind surfers jumping high in the air and crashing into white, frothy waves.  And there are a group of vacationing children playing Marco Polo in the lagoon below.

 

Games are an interesting part of our culture, aren’t they?  I was raised a game player.  I can remember playing Scrabble with my dad late into the night on more than one occasion, my mom finally stopping play to make me go to bed.  I played UNO with my grandparents as a kid.  And to this day, I try to make a game out of my workouts because stair climbing and eliptical training with no purpose is also no fun. 

 

But I’m not the only one with a game propensity.  Just about everyone likes to play games of one sort or another.  Maybe not organized sports, but mental games, psychological games, and unfortunately even emotional games…but that’s another blog    And games have finally started to work themselves into the way we learn and teach.  Check out the Serious Games Initiative sometime.  Or better yet, take a look at River City, Discover Babylon, or any other number of simulated, first person, educational games. 

 

But I’d like to propose yet another, new twist to gaming.  I realize that gaming is very new to education and some educators think it’s “silly” – just like people thought computers were “silly” thirty years ago….the afraid will be gone soon enough!  But, to those who are really into creativity, integration, and interactivty – to people who want students to be enveloped by their subject matter, I propose the inclusion of another game element into our arsenal.  It’s called ARG: Alternative Reality Games.

 

Basically, ARGs are used in marketing right now.  There are probably 50 – 100 ARGs going on right now around the world (and the world wide web).  The idea is that a marketer hides clues (like Easter Eggs) in the world.  This can be a flash drive left on park bench, a YouTube video with a secret message, or various letters of a page highlighted to send a message.  These clues come together to form a game that is absolutely enveloping to people.  There is a sense of mystery, with small successes coming throughout the game as each clue is uncovered and understood.  There is a wonderful sense of community that develops as people use personal skills to help the group solve each clue.  And all along the way, there is tremendous opportunity for teaching moments! 

 

Imagine trying to train your employees to learn a new software.  But, the way to learn that software is to hide clues that can only be solved using the software.  Suddenly it’s not training…it’s a game.  (But it IS training, isn’t it?)  Or what if your students need to fully understand various theorums in order to solve clues leading to a prize or extra credit?  Suddenly it’s not math – it’s a game!  And if a teacher were to include curriculum integration in the experience, allowing students to incorporate math, history, science, language…now we’re talking about innovation.  This is the kind of education that our students are craving and this could be powerful when organized by a school, a college, a department, etc. 

 

In two weeks, I’ll be leading a Serious Game meets an ARG at our CiTE conference.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  But, more imporant is a question for you.  Do you want to play a game?  Your employees, students, trainees, and children do…

CLUE #5 For the CiTE ARG / Serious Games Session:   Adjunct Instructor Frieda Jones, Stewart’s Freshman English Comp teacher had this to say about Stew, “He was a solid student for me.  Not outstanding, but not bad by any means.  He turned his assignments in on time and successfully.  He got a high B in my class.  He was your average blue eyed, blonde haired, American student and I thought he did a nice job.”   Professor Mic Brevin, Shirley’s Freshman Geology teacher had this to say, “Quite frankly I don’t remember Shirley.  I had to look at her homework history which I found to be quite proficient.  While I didn’t have essays in my class, she always turned her work in on time and it was always high B / low A work.”

(If you would like a speaker for your conference on gaming, serious games, ARGs – or if you’d like help setting up a game for your organization’s teaching / training needs, contact Jeff at jborden@jeffpresents.com)

Weight…

(Originally presented at http://jeffpresents.com)  

Weight Management: I know what you’re thinking…this blog has been about communication, education, and other various “higher level” concepts. What’s up with the weight thing? Well, in the spirit of immediacy and transparency, it’s important that I discuss this. And, in fairness, I have used several weight-based illustrations in my speaking over the years. In fact, I have also spoken for the sole purpose of weight management and healthy eathing, so it does tie to speaking. (Plus, it’s my blog…if you don’t care about weight, come back next week!)

So I’ve been overweight my whole life. It’s affected significant elements of who I am as a person – my self-esteem, my dress, my choices of everything from food to women…it’s systemic. But what’s weird to me is that I don’t fit the “mold” of a lot of overweight people. First off, I’m a big guy (I hear this ALL the time). I’m 6’5”, so I “carry weight well” – supposedly. As a result, a lot of people have no idea that I am overweight, even though the BMI suggests I’m actually obese. (Of course, they say that of Holyfield, the boxing champ is too.) As well, I don’t have a “trigger” to my eating. A lot of people eat when they’re happy or sad or scared or depressed…I eat during ALL of those occasions and many more. Do you know how you don’t eat when you’re sick? Not me. Just exercised? I’m starving. Ate an hour ago? I could go for a burrito… I just don’t fit the normal profile. And it’s been disconcerting to say the least.

Like I said, I’ve been heavy my whole life. When I was in 7th grade, the typing teacher at my school came in to see his buddy the gym coach. We were all doing those tests where they count sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, and rope climbing ability. I was trying to do one pull-up and I was struggling mightily. As the typing teacher walked into the gym teacher’s office, he glanced at me, snickered, and said, “Having a tough time tubby?” He and the gym teacher thought that was pretty amusing. (I must admit, there have been several occasions when I’ve thought of finding one or both of them and showing them how I grew up as well as out, but that’s a different blog.)So what have I done about it? Well…like most Americans I’ve tried just about everything. As a persuasion hound and a late-night tv junkie, I’ve gone for all of the info-mercial specials! Pills, machines, books, and the like have all come through my mailbox. I’ve gone to a fat-camp, I’ve tried every diet you’ve ever heard of, and I’ve even researched tape-worms bought over the Internet…yep, I’ve struggled with this for a long time.

So, what a crummy blog, right? Who wants to read a losing story? Well, I haven’t actually lost…yet. See, I’ve discovered some great things along the way. And, I’ve gone from 315lbs (about 10 years ago) to 245lbs today. My goal is to reach 235lbs sometime in the next month or so. But, what I’ve learned has actually transferred into many other aspects of life. See what you think.

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1. People are individuals. The thing about the pills, books, and diets that I finally get is that they will NEVER work for everyone. And when you hear someone say they will, you’re about to get taken. For example, some diets say to eat a small snack before bed to keep your metabolism going. But that doesn’t work for me. In fact, I can’t eat after 7pm if I want to lose weight effectively. Is that true for anyone else? Probably. Is it true for everyone? That would be ridiculous. Your body handles certain things in specific ways.
2. Portion control is out of control in our country. It’s ludicrous to need a plate of food the size of a football, but every restaurant in America does just that. People always wonder how other countries eat such fattening foods and don’t gain weight…while there are actually several reasons (more every-day exercise, better-rounded meals, wine consumption, more sleep, etc.), one major reason is portion size. Do you realize that your stomach’s natural state is to be about the size of your fist? Do you realize how much more than that you cram into it every meal? You do the math…
3. Speaking of math, essentially it comes down to numbers. Want to lose weight? Drop 500 calories from your resting caloric number and you’ll lose a pound a week. That’s basically true (of course there are specific people that have ailments making this not true…and you could eat those numbers in chocolate & potato chips and that might throw things off…). But, in base numbers, try to eat no more than your resting caloric intake and you’ll be ok.
4. Our government is wrong. The ideas, health concerns, and numbers that our government puts out regarding food, health, and weight are silly. Any organization that gets money from food lobbyists shouldn’t put any stamp of approval on anything food related. If you want to learn some amazing, but disheartening stuff about food as it relates to health, go to a better source. Try a few researchers and experts on food, nutrition, and health. Here are a few to get you started: The China Study (www.thechinastudy.com), Eat To Live (www.drfuhrman.com), The Food Revolution (www.foodrevolution.org), Fast Food Nation (www.amazon.com), or even SuperSize Me (http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=98). These references will show you that food isn’t just related to obesity – specific foods are linked to cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, and on and on. (BTW – just quit doing anything that involves high-fructose corn syrup. You might as well ingest Clorox on a regular basis.)
5. You need support. I have had many relationships over the years and very few of them were healthy when it came to my being healthy. I’m truly blessed right now to be in a relationship where my wife and family support the decisions I need to make in order to be healthy. This includes how often I eat out, exercising, and snacking. Without support, the job is a lot harder than with it.

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Why did I write this blog?  Hmmm…partly because it’s cathartic. Partly because I wanted to help people see that there are things you can do to help yourself. You don’t have to be heavy – even when it seems like that’s all you’ve ever known. But most important for me is that I want the world to know that I’m doing my best to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Why is it important everyone know? Because I have a beautiful, life changing, wonderful little daughter now. And I will do everything in my power to be around to play with HER kids someday…

(If you would like a speaker for your conference on eating, weight, health, or any other communication need, contact Jeff at jborden@jeffpresents.com)

Training

3/3/08
Playing on Jeff’s iPod right now:	Jeff’s latest magazine renewal:	Jeff’s website of the week:
Live Like You Were Dying- (Tim McGraw)I have to hand it to any singer that can get me to like a country song.  This would be the one and only song from this genre on iTunes for me.  But what a song it is.  I know it’s been around a while now, but everytime I hear it, I think about my family, my choices…my life.  He took a tough subject and tackled it head on, which makes you feel empowered and reflective at the same time.  Awesome song.	Wired - (www.wired.com)  If you aren’t getting Wired magazine, you are missing out on some of the best commentary of our e-World that I know of.  The stories are inspiring, the future predictions are incredible, and the tips are as helpful as any magazine you’ll find.  And it’s not just a geek’s paradise.  There are articles on ultra-marathons, underwater forestation, and how to drive farther on a tank of gas.  You really are missing out if you aren’t Wired.	The Authentic Assessment Toolbox  (Jonathan Mueller) –  This masterful website takes you through the process of creating a hierarchy of outcomes.  From mission statements to content assessment, this website is a great explanation of how any school (or business) should create deliverables.  It helps differentiate what is measurable and what is not and ultimately should be visited by anyone dealing with outcomes, standards, goals, objectives, etc.
Training:  This week, someone asked me what I look for when I hire a new trainer. Sure, there are the typical job posting qualities: must be a good communicator, must have good prioritization skills, etc. But the list is bigger than that. While I’ve been praised several times as a great trainer, I know that I’m not the total package. (You can fool some of the people some of the time…)  I don’t possess some of the qualities that I look for in others. (Isn’t that what a good boss does?)  Not everyone is a great speaker while still being a great consultant. Some people can listen and be respectful but don’t have the “big picture” attribute. But, all things considered, this is a good list to start from if you’re looking for someone to be a “trainer” at your company. Let’s see if I can crystallize them here for you. A good trainer is: 1. A good teacher. The mission at eCollege for trainers is unique. We try to hire trainers who deliver teaching tips as well as functional, system training. We think this really differentiates us from our competitors. In my past life, when I was solely teaching using the Internet, I sat in on trainings from our competitors and it was always, “Click this button – here is what happens…” Ugh. I try VERY hard to use learning style research, education theory, and brain research to make our trainings actually helpful. Adults need context – they need to know how with why. We try to provide that. 2. Someone who can handle a room. Good communication skills are essential. But presentation skills are not the only way to “handle a room!” This also includes listening, being respectful, good interpersonal skills, good nonverbals, etc. The best trainers aren’t on the stage the whole time and if they can’t relate 1X1, I’d rather find someone with who isn’t as strong with presentation, if they have great interpersonal skills. (I can always teach presentation skills to someone.) 3. Someone who can get to the “so what” of anything. When I took the main trainer role from a colleague who was moving on, there were several elements in our trainings that had no impact, because they didn’t really matter. People need things to be streamlined into what matters vs what doesn’t. Good trainers can do that after trying something just a few times. 4. Someone who is flexible. I have trainers today who are in trouble if they get to a school and are told, “We already know the platform…can you make this more of an ‘advanced’ training?” They freak out! But, we have some trainers who can absolutely handle that kind of curve ball without blinking. They think on their feet and it helps a lot. 5. A creative. A person who thinks out of the box can provide that extra “umph” that people love. Little tips, tricks, and special “secrets” that accompany the training are essential. They make the training “pop” and the audience feels like they know “special” information. 6. A good storyteller. 75% of your audience relates to story. So, I need someone who can tell a good, compelling, concise story to emphasize a point. (This can be taught to some people, but you need a good teacher who really understands the makings of a narrative.) 7. Someone who can follow up. The hardest thing for me (personally) is following up after the seminar. Good trainers are macro enough to get the big picture as well as micro enough to deal with the small details. 8. Someone who enjoys research. Good trainers have to know what trends are impacting whatever it is they train for. At eCollege it’s education, technology, learning, curriculum, outcomes, assessment, etc. So, we have to do our best to stay on top of what’s going on in the education world so we can provide really important, but correct insights for our participants. 9. Confident, but not cocky. Too confident feels “salesy” or “shmoozy” – I want genuine (as do trainees). This often comes from experience (on either side of the podium). Of course, the best way to acquire confidence is to do it, learning the mistakes not to repeat and the victories to include every time. 10. A strong leader. I have trainers today who are scared to tell people what to do, how to think, etc. People can always disagree, but often, participants want someone to say, “This is the best way to do it” vs “There are lots of ways to do it, pick your favorite.” There is a time for each of those messages, but some people are scared to death of option 1. I need someone who’s not afraid to be assertive! Ultimately, most training participants want the same thing… Good trainers are hard to come by. A LOT of companies make the same mistake about this position that is made in several other positions. The assumption that somebody can train simply because they know the product, service, process, etc., is bad line of reasoning. Universities have made this assumption for years regarding their professors. Many companies install executives who are great at what they do, assuming that this also means they know how to lead, communicate downward, manage, etc. It’s a bad assumption for anyone to make and it’s bad for trainers. Often the best trainers are simply the best communicators. And there is a LOT of communication needed…presentation, interpersonal, intercultural, small group, nonverbal, organizational, etc. But, once you find a good trainer, treat them well. Because as helpful as that trainer is for your company, they are a show-piece that others start to want as representatives for their own organizations. (If you would like more information about how to train effectively, how to be a great trainer, or any other communication need, contact Jeff at jborden@jeffpresents.com)