Adrian SegarSep 28, 2025

Do they want to be here? You are leading a workshop, conference, or session. How can you best serve people who don't want to be there?

https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2021/08/want-to-be-here

#meetings #EventDesign #facilitation #workshop #BeingHere #engagement #eventprofs #assnchat

Show thread@ChrisCorrigan has movedSep 29, 2025
@ASegar the effort for participatory gatherings needs to go into the invitation. Personal, explaining to people why they are needed for the session, co-created even. Put the effort into the invitation and you have to very little@once people are in the room.
Show threadAdrian SegarSep 29, 2025
@chriscorrigan Agree 💯. Sadly, I (and others) sometimes have little or no influence on the invitation. When that happens, it's useful to uncover at the start why people are there (the first of The Three Questions I often use—including whether they even want to be there—and, when relevant, explore what we might want to do about it.
Show thread@ChrisCorrigan has moved
@ASegar It's why I give people the chaotic stepping stones tool the moment we start work together. In that tool I deliberately push decisions about structure to the very end.
Sep 30, 2025 at 4:29amWeb
Show threadAdrian SegarSep 30, 2025

@chriscorrigan I love that tool, but rarely have opportunities to use it.

I would say that my work is more about building and supporting communities that foster individual learning and valuable connection, rather than supporting communities that want or need to work on community-wide issues.

Sometimes community-wide initiatives emerge from my work but they are not its primary focus.

Does that make sense to you?

Show thread@ChrisCorrigan has movedOct 1, 2025
@ASegar totally. And patterns of engagement and participation seem pretty consistent.