Zonta International Convention 2014 - Showdown in Orlando

turn away now if you can't stand carnage

Remember on my last post I made reference to the ZI Convention Schedule and something called "Workshops"?

Here is my challenge for all of us as Zontians.

• Would it be true that we are paying good hard earning money for thousands of us to fly from around the globe and come together only once every 2 years? 
• And that Zontians are smart, hard working, intelligent woman - with resources, skills, networks and knowledge?

And ... can you imagine the power, the intellect, the ideas, the creativity, the energy, the passion, the imagination, the magic possible from having 3000 of us in the same room at the same time?

Can we PLEASE move beyond the passive "bums on seats / death by powerpoint" model that has dominated so many Conventions and District Conferences in the past?

Death by PowerPoint from Alexei Kapterev

The Wow starts Now ...ummm ... never....

What if from among our 30,000 odd members some of our best public speakers, some of our best graphic designers, some of our best creative minds are invited to run free to support and design creative and memorable ways to share our messages?

You Suck At PowerPoint! by @jessedee from Jesse Desjardins - @jessedee

YES, YES YOU DO SUCK AT POWERPOINT! Can we please, have our professional skills on show, and let's have some interaction?

You and I are smart achieving people. Given the right environment and a chance to interact in a professionally facilitated manner, together we could design amazing projects and generate energy and engagement.

30 tips for awesome presentations from Ian Lurie

I've been told in the past by ZI senior people that it's too hard. I've been told that people won't accept the change. That there is too much business to be presented to add interactive elements.

I respond:

Make the business bits interactive! Can I put these propositions:

•  that you would prefer to talk WITH someone rather than be talked AT?  
• Get rid of the bits where people are reading their pre-written reports - otherwise why are they there? What value are they adding?
• If a person is getting up on stage, they need a clear purpose - a winning proposition on WHY THIS NEXT BIT OF INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT.

People will change when they can be part of something meaningful, when they explore and discover ideas and possibilities with each other; when members recognise each of us ARE Zonta and rather than passively sitting on one's backside, stand up and have respect for how we administer ourselves and harness the combined talents of THOUSANDS OF SMART WOMEN BEING IN THE SAME PLACE FOR 5 DAYS!

If you are going to haul yourself all the way to Orlando, would you not want to experience passion, engagement, fun, exploration, discovery, interaction, innovation, love and joy?

So this is my WHY. 



Martin Luther King is famous for saying: "I have a dream" not "I have a powerpoint and a 6 step plan"

So this is your chance to go nuts: what are all the ideas you have bringing our smart Zontians ideas to table for exploration? I note that ZI have introduced the idea of having a "trade show" style event. I have, above, shared ideas on how to do powerpoint. What other ideas can you come up with?