Imagery International 2011 Conference Presenter Feedback
Legend: JG (Jenny Garrison), SO (Said Osio), SG (Susan Gold), JS (Jeanne Schul), CH (Carl Hendel), RG (Robin Gayle), LH (Leah Houston)
1. How well organized did you think the conference was?
Said Osio: Well executed, Jan gets an A++++++ as does all the staff !!!
Jenny Garrison: It was great. Everything went like clockwork, with time built in for socializing and fun.
Jeanne Schul: This conference was most impressive in its organization, both preceding and during the conference.
Susan Gold: I thought the conference was very well organized. Having a schedule posted with the registration was pretty amazing, and everything went according to plan.
Carl Hendel: Most excellent re: organization. On a scale of 1-10, the score is 10+. No suggestions for improvement. If I ever needed to be sure things were properly organized, I'd hire you guys (the whole team) in a minute.
R G: I felt very well informed all along the way without any gaps. So many aspects were covered well, from the presenter’s format, gathering of materials, accommodations, auction, etc. I loved that the presentations were timed well and we knew this ahead of time. It kept everything on track in an easy going way.
Lea Houston: Very well organized! Everything started and ended on time, progression was well thought out and all events were clearly communicated. It seemed seamless – easy to forget how much work went into the doing of it. Such a gift and a testament to your teamwork that you make it appear easy!
2. Did you feel you got the technical and logistical support you needed for your
presentation?
SO: Yes I was well taken care off, the logistics in getting there from Bart a bit tricky, poor signage at Bart Station is all !!!
JG: Yes…just fine.
JS: The time between sessions was sufficient for me to change computers and make certain that my PP was working well. I also appreciated the offer of help if needed. So, I was quite satisfied.
SG: Yes!
CH: 2 and 3 together… Also, great. Nothing needed that wasn't available. This goes back to organization. You guys made it clear that the presenters were to tell you what was needed. Being able to e-mail the presentations was great. One possible future option would be to have the presenters send the presentation, as done this year, and allow them to bring a disk, since sometimes there are minor changes in the Powerpoint in the few weeks between the sending and the actual meeting.(Tell Terry I never liked the remotes anyway. You have to pay too much attention to direction, etc.)
RG: Yes. Even when the room was already set up for a different format, everyone helped me to put the chairs in a circle and rearrange the AV. This spirit of unconditional support carried through me to others who needed different set ups. I also think that putting all of the handouts in one bound folder is one of the best ideas I’ve seen at a conference.
LH: n/a
3. Were you satisfied with the A-V set up and the workshop handouts?
SO: Very !!!
JG: Yes, AV was fine. The workshop handouts are really lovely. I can so easily jog my memory on any of them just by looking. This was really nice, to have them all in the same place.
JS: Everything was very well managed.
SG: The A-V set up was great. I liked that the Power Points projected onto such a large surface. I felt it was easier to hear speakers without the microphone, but I’m not sure that was everyone’s experience. The handouts were fantastic, and I like the way they secured into a folder with pockets. It was nice having extra paper in there, too.
RG: This is mostly answered in # 2, but also want to say that the room size, warmth, and layout was just right and the AV availability is good to know for the future.
LH: Yes indeed I did.
4. What was your personal experience in attending the conference?
SO: My experience was limited as to having a frame of reference to other guided Imagery conferences. Yet as to other conferences in general richly rewarding and a strong sense of community. I wonder how you can stay in the hearts and minds of us all ????
JG: I was blown away by the beauty and integrity of so many doing imagery out in the world in so many different ways. I am delighted to be part of this forward reaching group of healers and teachers.
JS: This was a wonderful conference experience for me. It felt more like being on retreat, in regard to the personal process that unfolded for me, unlike a professional conference, which can be formal and rather competitive in tone. So, I greatly appreciated the warm sense of community that the board has enabled.
SG: It was such a beautiful weekend. I had a rich experience both personally and professionally.
CH: Overwhelming and unexpected. Great joy in hugging old friends and wonderful meeting new ones. Lots of love in that room.
RG: I thoroughly enjoyed the Board and members of II and felt welcomed and integrated from the first moment I came and sat down at dinner. My presentation appeared very well received and I gained a lot of meaningful interaction and material from other presenters. What I liked the most was that there did not seem to be any separation of authority between presenters and participants, one could be either in any session. Neither was there a separation between the Board and the members. It was a lot of fun and a wonderfully warm culture to enter into.
LH: Yes.
5. What comments or recommendations do you have for us?
SO: Build on this energy find out what the community needs and then create a new offering. They will not know what they want but have needs and as a membership organization you have a relationship that can engage on a more profound level. I feel you must be proactive in positioning yourself as a visionary in migrating guided imagery as a practice as a viable service and evolve as the shift into mindfulness and other like practices get more attention. GI needs to be inclusive in its positioning as an offering and the value it offers seen very clearly so as to support all those who have come to value its power for healing and transformation! Let me know where I can help!
JG: You are doing a wonderful job.
JS: Having served on a number of conference boards, I would simply suggest that the conference begin in ritual, setting the tone and expectation of the weekend, just as it ended in ritual. The membership meeting would probably work better if it were imbedded into later time during the weekend. This would give new participants a more uplifting initial experience. In my experience, it also works well to promote the next annual meeting throughout the on-going conference.
SG: Last year, the speakers were on a stage and the audience sat theater style. I liked how the room this year offered the flexibility to change the seating, and I thought it was nice that the speakers could be closer to the audience. There were more experiential activities this year, too, which I think everyone enjoyed. It might be nice on the speaker proposal form to say that experiential activities are encouraged, though not required. Since we know the conference will be at Mercy, we might also let potential speakers know that the conference room is quite spacious and offers flexibility. Speakers may reconfigure the seating for their presentation and can expect anywhere from 35 – ? participants.
CH: I recommend that you all celebrate. The vision of an imagery association, often on life-support, seems to have found a leadership team capable of great things. My heart swells.
Re: evals:
If/when I present again, I promise to do a better job on time-management. I would have savored enough time to explore the hope piece, both in talk and experience.
Other than that, I think I did OK., even better than OK.
I was approached by Said at the end of the meeting, and he sincerely asked for honest feedback on his presentation. I knew I could hide. So, I did my best to give him some, and if it was too much, be gentle in your "official" words. My Reverse Oreo was to express my excitement and appreciation for the visual, creative, beauty that he brought us. Also, I acknowledged his comfort and charisma as an experienced group leader. The "growing edges" were that the graphics, although beautiful, might have been easier to read if he had picked another color for the font.
Artistically, his color was great, but, in order to communicate with an audience, straining to read is a distraction. The other "growing edge" was to focus on a few aspects in more depth to clearly present his topic. We never really the topic explained. And I expressed again my deep appreciation for the knowledge and experience her brought into the room. He is a powerful energy, and a loving and sincere man. I wish he hadn't asked so persuasively, and I hope I didn't act out of place.
RG: Keep up the good work. It is wonderful as it is. More people should know about this conference. I would be happy to let my students at the University know for next year. Is there a flier or handout I could show them? I look forward to coming again!
LH: I had a great time and came home with valuable new skills and understandings. It was a remarkable group of lovely, interesting, caring, bright people in attendance and presenting. Although I really didn’t know anyone- except Jann from years ago- I felt immediately welcomed and included in the group.
~On the presenter feedback I would include room for more comments such as perhaps rating on a scale such items as:
How valuable was this presentation to you? Did you learn new skills you can use?
~I think lots more folks should be coming to these! Now, how to draw them of course is the big question.
Perhaps presenters and/or organizers could be invited to make brief videos ahead and those could be on the II You Tube channel with links on blog and site. Also testimonial videos from conference.
Maybe several very short videos or a collage video with folks with name visibility like Marty and Emmett etc and folks just in the trenches using it…
(I love making videos and would be happy to make one for you at some point, just talking about imagery’s value and the organization etc if that would be helpful. --sort of Rah Rah Hooray Imagery international! )
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II Conference 2011 Presenter Feedback