#COFAnnual
Preparing Your
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
How to Guide & Resources
#Philanthropy
#COFAnnual
Purpose of This Deck
In order to maximize the collective impact of our sessions,
we are providing this guide to help:
• Organize your session
• Ensure its interactive components
• Create connections and therefore cohesion with other
sessions
• Connect your content to the conference theme
• Generate resources proactively to support the sessions
as well as create a learning community and exchange
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
#Philanthropy
#COFAnnual
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“How to Guide” Components
WHAT
DESCRIPTION
WHY
I. Desired Outcomes
Overall Goals for Your Session
Helps frame and keep presentation on track
when creating the tactical design
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
II. Tie to Conference Theme: The Role of
Philanthropy in a Fractured Nation
As the theme of our conference, how does
your session reflect this theme? How do you
tie your desired outcomes to this theme?
Creates cohesion for the overall conference as
well as serves as a great way to frame
individual sessions
III. Agenda
Clearly sequenced and timed outline of the
exact flow of your session
Ensures effective delivery of desired outcomes
and serves as road map for team
IV. Session Format & Logistic Requirements
Session Format: This is the how of your
session. What methodologies will you use
ensure audience engagement and
participation. Logistic Requirements:
Submitting bios, photos, AV/Room Format
Request, and any other logistical needs
Adult learning requires us to use multiple
methods and techniques to engage our
audiences
V. Visual Learning
The supplementary role of visuals make the
case for your content.
Additional supports that are visual reinforce
learning as well as respect diverse learning
styles
VI. Technology
What are the opportunities to engage your
audience with social media tools
These new tools provide an opportunity to
expand the tools traditionally available to use
as “formats”
III. Resources and Materials
Submission of your supplementary materials
that generate greater depth and
understanding for your topic and session
Furthers the engagement and understanding
of the subject matter of your audience
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I. Desired Outcomes
• Definition: overall goals of your session
• What do you want participants to be talking about?
Preparing
• What are the knowledge,
skills Your
and attitudes you
expect participants to possess by the end of your
session? Conference Session:
• What is the actual weighting of each of these types of
outcomes for your session? What is your balance?
How to Guide & Resources
• How do your desired outcomes tie to the conference
theme?
• What is the tone that you would like to set?
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Example –
Developing Desired Outcomes
KNOWLEDGE
SKILLS
ATTITUDES
By the end of your session, what do
you want participants to know?
By the end of your session, what
skills do you want your participants
to possess?
By the end of your session, what
attitudes or beliefs do you want
participants to have?
Example: New ways to engage
younger family members in their
family philanthropy
Example: A new approach to host
a learning session that effectively
engages family members
Example: Excited and motivated to
try out new ways to engage their
family members
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
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#Philanthropy
II. Tie to Conference Theme
•
•
The philanthropic community is coming together to address some of
today's toughest challenges. The Council on Foundations' Annual
Meeting brings together global leaders from across philanthropy to
develop the ideas and strategies that will shape the future.
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
Our meeting theme, “Leading Together: Hope and Opportunity in a
Destabilized
World”
invites
philanthropic
leaders
to collaborate more
How
to
Guide
&
Resources
effectively for greater social impact. If philanthropy can help stabilize
critical areas and issues, we can thereby create greater stabilization
around the world.
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Different Types of Conference Sessions
• At the conference, session types include:
• 90 Minute Workshop Sessions: Interactive, compelling,
relevant and practical; allows time for participants to process
and reflect on how learning applies to their own work
• Plenary: Thought provoking, inspirational sessions for all (or
most of) of conference participants
• General Sessions: High level, focused content that frames an
issue building on historic context and lessons learned
• Off Site Sessions: Experiential learning that showcases the
region
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
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Session Format Options
Session Format
Description
Point/Counter Point
These sessions feature opposing points of view, with protagonists and antagonists taking
opposite sides of a specific topic. A moderator facilitates a lively debate.
Ignite
Knowledge Fair
Role Playing
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
Participants have five minutes to speak about their ideas and personal or professional
passions using 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds and automatically
advanced. The presentations are meant to "ignite" the audience on a subject, that is,
generate awareness and stimulate thought and action.
Knowledge fairs are face-to-face events in which participants set up displays to share their
topics. Fairs are free-flowing, open, flexible, and non-hierarchical. People can see what is
happening and what others are doing, and can interact with each other. Events mix
different levels and types of people in a variety of interactions.
These sessions are organized around short skits that illustrate a point. Role play can help
participants understand different viewpoints and practice strategies in conversation and
conflict management.
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Session Format Options Con’t
Session Format
Description
Strategy Session
The moderator or presenter poses a group of questions and then breaks the audience into
small groups to answer a specific question. Groups then report back.
Fish Bowl
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
Panel Discussion
Fishbowl sessions involve five to eight people seated in a circle, having a conversation in
full view of a larger group of listeners. The fishbowl provides a creative way to include the
public in a small-group discussion. Fishbowls are useful for airing hot topics or sharing
information from a variety of perspectives. Sometimes the discussion is limited to a
specific group.
Three or four speakers, led by a moderator, address a group. This format generally consists
of 25 minutes for speaker comments and moderator questions, and 25 minutes for
questions from the audience. For most conference participants, this is the least engaging
method of learning.
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How To Engage Your Audience
At the beginning of your session, just as you introduce your
speakers, take the chance to learn about your audience
You can engage them by:
Coming up with five statements that would help get at who is in
the room (years of experience, familiarity with the issue, type
of organization, board vs. staff role, etc.) and ask people to raise
their hands according to their answer
Ask a few people to share their goals or expectations for the
session
Ask a few people to put out any questions they hope to have
answered
Come up with a couple of questions people can ask each other,
one-on-one, in 1- to 2-minute chats; then go around the room
to capture a few of these
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
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Mini Session Format Ideas
Pair Share: have participants talk to their neighbor as a way
to introduce a concept, discuss a concept that was
presented or begin the process of “taking it home”
Silent Reflection: allows participants to process material or
formulate questions they may have; honors different
learning styles in any room
Quick Quiz: pose a question that you want the group to
ponder and serves as a “silent brainstorm;” can then be
used to share back to the large group or as a part of a pair
share
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
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YOUR WORKSHEET
Agenda
WHEN
WHAT
5-10%
Opening
• Welcome
• Quick Agenda Review
• Getting to Know Your
Audience
• Connection to Vision
to Action theme
• Quick Speaker Intros
10-30%
40-70%
5-10%
HOW
WHO
NOTES
Session Facilitator
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
Presentation
Interaction
Closing
• Recap of Major
Points
• Thank Speakers and
Participants
• Evaluation
Session Facilitator
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V. Visual Learning
• Grounds content
Preparing
Your
• Increases audience’s
attention
• AddingConference
graphs, pictures orSession:
diagrams for visual
representation of the content provided are the
most
commonly
used techniques
How
to Guide
& Resources
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Visual Learning Techniques
TECHNIQUE
DESCRIPTION
WHEN TO USE
Charting information
Have a dedicated recorder who is capturing
main ideas as they being presented
Low tech but effective; importance of basics
to ensure its efficacy
Powerpoint/Prezi
Shared single point of easy to follow and read
content; COF template provided for your use
Lots of content that is being shared, can hit
the highlights, also very good for graphs,
charts; remember less is more on any page
Great way to show concept in action or
provide inspiration for content; anchor point
or kick off emotion or topic in a powerful way
Can be used at any point of presentation—
need to think about its power to succinctly
convey information—when will this best
serve you? Note: doesn’t have to be content
you have created—just has convey message
you are trying to get across
Since the conference this year is striving to be
more environmentally friendly, we prefer
that you post a link to the files (vs. printing
hard copies) – See Section VIII for instructions
on how to share resources
When you have lots of content and don’t
want participants focused on note taking,
supplementary support—can you deliver via
tablet or other non paper application (see
Technology Section for more ideas)
Video/Photographs
Handouts
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
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How Technology
Can Enhance Your Session
TECHNOLOGY
DESCRIPTION
WHEN IS BEST USED
Council on Twitter
Fall Conference #:
#COFAnnual
#Philanthropy
15,300 people follow the
Council on Twitter
Advertise content of your session
Share highlights from session
To learn more about the topic post session
Facebook
2,448“Likes”
Ask questions, post news, or weigh in on
issues
30,000 unique visitors to
the blog; for this format
you can have up to 300
words, with a thought
provoking question as a
close
Great way to keep dialogue going and keep
others connected to the topic
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
Philanthropy Exchange
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VI. Technology: A New Dimension
• We have moved in a three dimensional way beyond
PowerPoint and poster paper to share information
Preparing Your
• The technologies are new and constantly being
enhancedConference Session:
• It’s often
hard
toGuide
discern what
does (or doesn’t)
How
to
&
Resources
make sense to leverage in this field
• The frame of maximizing learning needs to be kept
at the forefront of your analysis when determining
what you want to include
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VII. Resources
Your session has even greater strength when there are further resources that support it.
Your assigned coach will be requesting these resources from you so that they can be
shared with conference participants. Also, should you use PowerPoint, we are providing a
template for your use.
RESOURCE
Articles
Websites
Videos
Blogs
Preparing Your
Conference Session:
How to Guide & Resources
Other Thought Leaders
Materials Used in Your Session
NAME/LOCATION
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