Are you a Session Hopper?
On Session Hopping
You must be wondering what Session Hopping means. Has it ever happened to you that you attend a conference and there are simultaneous sessions that interest you? Well, it happens to me all the time and I must admit that this is the first time I am acknowledging that I do not fully attend one of them, I just session hop.
For example, the AdobeLearning Summit in DevLearn 2008 showed three simultaneous strands, each session at the same time (Management Track, Development and Delivery and Innovation and Emerging Technologies Track) Fascinating, right? A same subject, let’s say, “Maximizing Elearning Success” was seen from ROI standpoint, Tool use and New Innovations.
Before I tell you how I do it, I need to admit that I have no patience for long introductions, particularly because they tend to repeat the info that is already well-established but serves as intro for participants who are new to the scene. I also have no patience for losing valuable time in long warm-ups which really do not leave much time for the juicy part: the show-me-how-you-did-it and lead-me to the tools, resources, urls where I can replicate it and learn from it.
I used to session hop in previous conferences, but I think I have improved myself in this last one. Here are my tips:
· Gather all the info before the conference, some presenters even post their handouts in the conference website ahead of time. Make a first decision then.
· Get to the room before the session starts and grab a handout then. Then make a decision if you’d like to stay.
· Try not to go into the room you’ve chosen after the session has started. It is a bit too noticeable for the speaker and he might not like it.
· Sit at the back, if possible in the last row next to the other hoppers, and try to grab the aisle seat.
· If you realize that you are not getting what you need from the session, try to leave as unobtrusively as possible, particularly when the presenter is not looking or is busy on paper work.
As I said I no longer have patience to sit for a whole session unless it is really appealing, fascinating, and gives me lots of meat. And I realize I am difficult there.
What I wonder now is whether I would be able to produce such a presentation myself.
You must be wondering what Session Hopping means. Has it ever happened to you that you attend a conference and there are simultaneous sessions that interest you? Well, it happens to me all the time and I must admit that this is the first time I am acknowledging that I do not fully attend one of them, I just session hop.
For example, the AdobeLearning Summit in DevLearn 2008 showed three simultaneous strands, each session at the same time (Management Track, Development and Delivery and Innovation and Emerging Technologies Track) Fascinating, right? A same subject, let’s say, “Maximizing Elearning Success” was seen from ROI standpoint, Tool use and New Innovations.
Before I tell you how I do it, I need to admit that I have no patience for long introductions, particularly because they tend to repeat the info that is already well-established but serves as intro for participants who are new to the scene. I also have no patience for losing valuable time in long warm-ups which really do not leave much time for the juicy part: the show-me-how-you-did-it and lead-me to the tools, resources, urls where I can replicate it and learn from it.
I used to session hop in previous conferences, but I think I have improved myself in this last one. Here are my tips:
· Gather all the info before the conference, some presenters even post their handouts in the conference website ahead of time. Make a first decision then.
· Get to the room before the session starts and grab a handout then. Then make a decision if you’d like to stay.
· Try not to go into the room you’ve chosen after the session has started. It is a bit too noticeable for the speaker and he might not like it.
· Sit at the back, if possible in the last row next to the other hoppers, and try to grab the aisle seat.
· If you realize that you are not getting what you need from the session, try to leave as unobtrusively as possible, particularly when the presenter is not looking or is busy on paper work.
As I said I no longer have patience to sit for a whole session unless it is really appealing, fascinating, and gives me lots of meat. And I realize I am difficult there.
What I wonder now is whether I would be able to produce such a presentation myself.
posted by Mercedes at 5:34 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home