So now I'll tell you a little about what I learned. I did not take copious notes this year, preferring to be in the moment, to enjoy and experience each event rather than being distracted by note- taking. So what I share will be mostly from memory. So sue me.
During the course of the conference I went to workshops presented by or featuring Todd Hunter, Richard Twiss, Brian McLaren, Jim Henderson, Earl Creps, Phil Wyman, John Smulo, Spencer Burke, and Bill Dahl.
From this list you might think there was a shortage of women speakers; I want to reassure you that was not the case. Yes, the numbers were still skewed, but I was impressed by the variety of women speakers. I just happened not to make it to any of their workshops.
Let me paint a picture for you:
Friday
9:00-10:30 - 3 workshops to choose from
11:00-12:00 - 10 workshops to choose from
1:30-3:00 - 3 choices
3:30-4:40 - 10 choices
7:30 -10:00 - 4 venues
Saturday
9:00-10:00 - 3 choices
10:15-11:15 - 10 choices
Every single workshop was different, meaning having to chose only 7 out of 43 possibilities, so you see, it was impossible to hear every speaker or even most of them. Many of the workshops featured more than one speaker, so that increased the odds of hearing someone, but even so...and you might think that I would be most interested in the women presenters, that didn't actually prove to be true when given the wide variety of subject matter.
Instead, it was necessary to consider several factors when choosing workshops...and one of those factors being, of course, the subjects which interested me, another factor for me is the availability of the Women's Convergence event coming up again in February (10 minutes from my house)...which will make it possible for me to hear a number of women speakers, some of whom were here at OTM. Also, I chose workshops presented by those whom I haven't heard before and/or might not have another opportunity to hear for some time.
OK I just decided I'm going to break this up into two more posts because it is getting rather long. Look for my Friday and Saturday posts coming up next.
During the course of the conference I went to workshops presented by or featuring Todd Hunter, Richard Twiss, Brian McLaren, Jim Henderson, Earl Creps, Phil Wyman, John Smulo, Spencer Burke, and Bill Dahl.
From this list you might think there was a shortage of women speakers; I want to reassure you that was not the case. Yes, the numbers were still skewed, but I was impressed by the variety of women speakers. I just happened not to make it to any of their workshops.
Let me paint a picture for you:
Friday
9:00-10:30 - 3 workshops to choose from
11:00-12:00 - 10 workshops to choose from
1:30-3:00 - 3 choices
3:30-4:40 - 10 choices
7:30 -10:00 - 4 venues
Saturday
9:00-10:00 - 3 choices
10:15-11:15 - 10 choices
Every single workshop was different, meaning having to chose only 7 out of 43 possibilities, so you see, it was impossible to hear every speaker or even most of them. Many of the workshops featured more than one speaker, so that increased the odds of hearing someone, but even so...and you might think that I would be most interested in the women presenters, that didn't actually prove to be true when given the wide variety of subject matter.
Instead, it was necessary to consider several factors when choosing workshops...and one of those factors being, of course, the subjects which interested me, another factor for me is the availability of the Women's Convergence event coming up again in February (10 minutes from my house)...which will make it possible for me to hear a number of women speakers, some of whom were here at OTM. Also, I chose workshops presented by those whom I haven't heard before and/or might not have another opportunity to hear for some time.
OK I just decided I'm going to break this up into two more posts because it is getting rather long. Look for my Friday and Saturday posts coming up next.
Great post! Hope things are going well. Remember, the day we stop learning, we begin to die...
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a friend! :o)
TL - Hi there! Thanks for taking to time to stop here. You are so right, and you are very welcome.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to hearing more about how you guys are doing. Still praying for you and your family.
When at conferences, I also seem to lean toward the speaker. A lot of the times, the topic at hand or the title / subject matter may change a little.
ReplyDeleteJeff - I hear ya. I think some of the speakers I heard got a bit tangential, but they were interesting nonetheless.
ReplyDelete