I was reminded yesterday of a great book called The Way We're Working Isn't Working.
In it, author Tony Schwartz highlights that the constant flow of information, emails, meetings, and urgent demands overwhelms us, making it impossible to keep pace regardless of our efforts. Thus we experience a sense of disconnection, exhaustion, and struggle to allocate time or energy for profound or innovative thinking.
And I thought about the added layer of experiencing this at conferences.
First, the basics of the book...
Schwartz posits that humans have four main sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
Physical: Sustainability
To maintain our physical well-being, we HAVE to prioritize adequate sleep, proper nutrition, regular exercise, and rest. Our physical health forms the basis for all other forms of energy. Neglecting your body will hinder your ability to perform at your best. Schwartz says there are four renewal quadrants for physical well-being.
Emotional: Our Need for Security
How well we perform is influenced by our emotions. Our emotional state is determined by our fundamental desire for security, which is based on how accepted and appreciated we feel.
Schwartz says there are four Emotional Quadrants that indicate the level and nature of our emotional vitality: the Survival Zone, Burnout Zone, Renewal Zone, and Performance Zone.
Mental: Our Need for Self-Expression
We all have an inherent desire to express ourselves through our skills and talents. And it hinges on our capacity to regulate our focus and concentrate on one task at a time.
We transition through four attentional states that mirror the quality and scope of our attention: The Reactive Zone, Scattered Zone, Tactical Zone, and Big Picture Zone. The objective is to achieve a state of flow—where you are completely engrossed in an activity, with all distractions fading into the background—and enhance your ability for focused attention by shifting between the Tactical and Big Picture zones.
Spiritual: The Need for Significance
Humans seek meaning, significance, and connection. Serving a greater purpose beyond ourselves fills us with vitality. Our spiritual strength is nurtured by our core values and sense of direction, which reflect in our everyday actions.
Our values and purpose are shaped by our individual life journeys, making them deeply personal and subjective. Therefore, unlike the other three energy sources mentioned, the specifics of the four spiritual quadrants are determined by each individual.
And now for events...
As you design your next conference, you as the event manager DO have the ability to influence how your attendees experience the event. Too often, we don't believe we have a seat at the table and are just working in one little workstream of the event. But if you are in charge of F&B for your event, then you have the ability to make healthy, sustainable choices for the meals and snacks your attendees are consuming.
If you oversee more of your program, think through the physical aspects of the program and ensure you're allowing participants the time to sleep, clear their head of work priorities, and get in some exercise. Which may mean not making the keynote start at 8am, but at 10am, instead.
Emotionally, ensure your attendees feel connected and that you have facilitated networking opportunities that welcome introverts and extroverts alike into a collision-rich environment where connections can thrive.
Mentally, where can you help attendees have the opportunity to contribute and not just consume? Are there peer-to-peer conversations? Roundtable discussions? Fishbowl formats? Insight sessions? Letting them share their value with others is key to their intellectual stimulation.
And spiritually, how are you helping them connect with something bigger? This doesn't have to mean religion. It could be a cause that your organization supports, an industry advocacy opportunity, or the ability to help others on their journey.
I think that they way we're eventing isn't working and we have the power to change it.
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