Over to San Diego in sunny California for the IABC Leadership Institute. It’s the first time I have attended this excellent event. It’s aimed at IABC Board Members, who of course are all volunteers, and helps them make their Chapters more effective. Around 150 members have turned up. Most are from North America and Canada but there are a smattering of Europeans, Australians and South Africans.
The first session was billed as a rather uninspiring lecture on the value of IABC. I almost skipped it for a dive in the spa pool; I’m glad I didn’t. As we approached the conference room we heard the beating of drums and sure enough the whole session was run by the local Drum Café guys who did a great job shaking up our preconceptions and waking up our spirits.
I’ve used drum café a couple of times with clients but not for a long while thanks to the economic doldrums that says that even when companies are making money they are not allowed to show it at their conferences. I hope that as the money comes back into live events more companies start their agenda with a drumbeat rather than drumming PowerPoint into their hapless attendees.
At the end of the Conference we were treated to a presentation by the splendid Carol Kinsey Goman - expert on body language. She is so good I determined to get her across to Europe for a s simplyseminar. Although an American she is acutely aware of European snesibilities. She told one story of sitting next to a Frenchwoman at a presentation by an ebullient American who insisted on starting with an ice-breaker.
Exasperated at the tree-hugging exercise the Frenchwoman exclaimed: " You Americans and your ice-breakers. Why can't you just wait until we thaw!"
Marc Wright, Vice Chair Europe & Middle East Region
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