Please see a presentation below of five (5) alternative session formats for your consideration to promote optimal learning and engagement for your proposed session. You will be prompted to indicate which format will be utilized in the online proposal submission form.
An expert and moderator have a discussion observed by, and guided via questions sourced from, the audience.
Purpose: This format helps share the knowledge + perspective of an expert through questions sourced from the audience/community. It works best when the interviewee is an acknowledged expert for the audience and the interviewer and/or technology employed to source questions make it clear the discussion is participant-driven. This format can be more effective than the traditional PowerPoint presentation in conveying new information to an audience - as the audience will identify for the expert, through their questions, the information that is most pertinent and interesting to them.
Participants:
Process: The conversation begins with the interviewer asking 1-2 pre-selected questions. Further questions are gathered from the audience either before the session or in real-time (using something like pigeonhole live). The conversation continues, with the interviewer using audience questions as a guide.
Suggested Timing:
A series of presenters give short (strictly timed), high-energy talks exploring multiple angles or approaches of a central theme.
Purpose: This format allows an audience to hear from several relevant voices or angles—and encourages presenters to focus on the most cogent, significant elements of their work, expertise, perspective. It is particularly useful for presenting multiple approaches or methodologies to a particular topic, discussing inter-related topics, and presenting “the latest” news or updates.
You can see a guide that can be shared with presenters here from the Ignite Phoenix session, on the best way to build their PPT to support their 12-15 minute talk and avoid death by PowerPoint. Beyond the concise presentations, this format also includes conversations between the individual presenters and the audience either as one large group or in smaller, break-out groups with one presenter leading each discussion based on different presentations.
Participants:
Process: In a pre-prepared slide deck, each presenter has a bio slide that appears during the transition between talks. Presenters should minimize the use of PowerPoint slides to keep sessions engaging. Each individual quick fire presenter should not exceed 15 minutes. The audience has an opportunity to ask specific questions to after all presentations are complete.
Suggested Timing:
Participants engage in small-group deep-dive discussions around core-challenges raised by contributors.
Purpose: This format enables contributors to present their work within the context of a core challenge, and the opportunity to promote interaction and collaboration with the audience. Each contributor (between 2-4) has 10-15 minutes to present their work/approach and end with the summary of a core challenge. Participants in the audience have the opportunity to talk among themselves, share their perspectives, their work, and their insights as they relate to the core questions raised by the contributors. This format builds consensus and moves critical dialogues forward by sourcing insight from a broad group and promoting collaboration. Representatives from each group are then able to share their insights with the contributor whose core-challenge their group addressed.
Participants:
Process: Contributors present on their work and then highlights a particular challenge or issue relevant to this work –what the challenge is and why it matters. The attendees then discuss the issue/question in their small groups and choose a key insight/question/idea to present back to the larger group.
Suggested Timing:
Experts representing opposing perspectives on a critical issue engage in open debate, with audience participation.
Purpose: This format helps clarify, deepen, and propel forward the dialogue around critical and controversial issues in a field and introduces a forum to constructively discuss varying and contradictory perspectives.
Participants: (this session format may accept more than 4 panelists)
Process: In a classic debate format, each side presents a prepared opening, then answers questions (2 min proposition, 1 min rebuttal, with 30 sec each extension at moderator’s discretion) from both the moderator and the audience, and then presents a closing. At the conclusion, the audience is asked to vote on which side of the debate they found to be most compelling. Audiences can also be polled at the start of the discussion to measure how attitudes changed or didn’t change as a result of the debate.
Suggested Timing:
Participants are exposed to a practical tool through a hands-on exercise.
Purpose: This format enables participants to learn about a new and innovative tool through an engaging and interactive approach.
Participants:
Process: Facilitators have between 10-15 minutes to present the tool and then the audience will have an opportunity for a brief Q&A session. After the Q&A, the exercise instructions will be passed out to each table. The audience will work in groups and will be given a “mock case study.” It is recommended that 2-3 case studies be developed for the activity, but that each group focuses on one case study. The groups will then have the opportunity to practice applying the tool in one given scenario. During the exercise, facilitators sit with groups and walk around the room to answer questions group members have about the tool and guide discussions. Groups are then brought back to a broader discussion on how they applied the tool and key learnings.
Suggested Timing:
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