Conferences can be transformative experiences—places where new partnerships are forged, ideas take flight, and energy is reinvigorated. Yet, all too often, they devolve into chaotic whirlwinds of missed opportunities and scattered schedules. Ironically, the best moments often happen in the quiet corners: hallway conversations or impromptu meetups in empty banquet rooms after the main events.

What if those “best parts” could become the focus instead of the afterthought?

When approached as collaborative team-building opportunities rather than individual marathons, conferences can become game-changers—for the company, the team, and the individual. Here’s how you can prepare your team to thrive:

1. Pre-Conference Game Plan

Before the travel frenzy begins, gather your team for a strategy session. This isn’t just a logistics meeting—it’s about aligning individual objectives with team goals. Keep it relaxed, perhaps over lunch or dinner, and encourage open sharing.

• Set clear goals: Ask everyone to identify one company-wide objective (e.g., scouting for future operational challenges) and one personal goal (e.g., making five new connections or asking a question in every session).
• Form sub-teams if needed: If your group exceeds eight members, consider breaking into smaller units to ensure better collaboration and accountability.

This approach ensures your team enters the conference with clarity and purpose, ready to amplify each other’s success.

2. Practice Makes Perfect

Confidence and preparation go hand in hand. Dedicate 15 minutes daily for the team to practice key elements of their conference roles.

• Keep it concise: Each participant gets five minutes to rehearse something specific—whether it’s their presentation introduction, an elevator pitch, or an answer to a likely panel question
• Collective feedback: Use the remaining time to provide constructive input and brainstorm strategies.

This routine not only sharpens individual skills but fosters a shared sense of accountability and camaraderie. Plus, it often leads to creative, collaborative solutions that align with team goals.

3. Plan for the Unexpected

Conferences are notorious for throwing curveballs, from missed connections to overwhelming schedules. Equip your team with tools to handle these situations with grace:

• Identify common challenges: Discuss scenarios that might arise (e.g., feeling stuck in an unproductive conversation or needing to gracefully exit a session).
• Create a support system: Establish communication channels or even subtle signals for requesting help in real time. This can range from group chats to pre-determined hand signals during networking events.

Final Thoughts

Conferences don’t have to be chaotic, draining experiences. With the right preparation and a focus on team synergy, they can be powerful catalysts for growth and innovation. By aligning goals, practicing together, and strategizing for the inevitable hiccups, your team can leave each event not just inspired, but transformed.

In the vast landscape of communication, the ability to paraphrase stands out as a valuable skill that often goes unnoticed. Paraphrasing involves rephrasing someone else’s words or ideas in your own words, and its importance in conversation cannot be overstated. This nuanced skill plays a pivotal role in fostering understanding, enhancing relationships, and promoting effective communication.

One of the primary benefits of paraphrasing lies in its ability to ensure clarity. When conversing, it’s not uncommon for misunderstandings to arise. Paraphrasing acts as a linguistic safety net, allowing individuals to confirm their understanding of the speaker’s message. Restating information can clarify any potential confusion and demonstrate active listening, showing that you are fully engaged in the conversation.

Moreover, paraphrasing contributes to the creation of a positive and collaborative communication environment. When individuals feel that their thoughts and ideas are being accurately reflected, it fosters a sense of validation and respect. This, in turn, promotes a more open and trusting atmosphere, where people are more likely to share their perspectives without fear of misinterpretation.

In professional settings, paraphrasing becomes even more important. It is a key tool for effective communication in team collaboration, negotiations, and conflict resolution. Miscommunications can lead to costly errors, delays, and strained relationships. Paraphrasing mitigates these risks by serving as a mechanism for verification and alignment of expectations.

Additionally, paraphrasing demonstrates adaptability and empathy. It allows individuals to tailor their communication style to match the listeners’ preferences and level of understanding.

This adaptability is particularly crucial in cross-cultural interactions or when communicating complex concepts, where different interpretations may arise.

In conclusion, the art of paraphrasing is an indispensable skill in effective communication. Whether in personal relationships, professional settings, or public discourse, the ability to rephrase and confirm understanding is the cornerstone of successful communication. It enhances clarity, builds stronger relationships, and contributes to a harmonious and productive exchange of ideas.

A fireside chat in business is an informal yet structured conversation between a moderator and a guest speaker (or panel) at a conference, event, or corporate gathering. Unlike traditional keynote speeches or panel discussions, fireside chats are engaging, relaxed, and interactive—almost like an intimate conversation around a fireplace, which is where the term originates.

Of course, speaking in this format may not always feel comfortable. Nerves can creep in between the lavalier mic, a tight dress belt, and the fear of the unknown. As coaches, we’ve helped hundreds of professionals prepare for fireside chats, and here are our top tips for success:

1. Embrace the Conversational Format

Unlike formal speeches, fireside chats should feel like a candid conversation between you and the moderator (and the other speakers if appropriate).

How to Prepare:

• Ditch the script. Instead of a full-page speech, keep an index card with key points or hard-to-memorize data. Ideally, you have no notes.
• Trust the flow. There’s no need to memorize word-for-word—let the conversation develop naturally.
• Pivot when needed. A great moderator will shape the conversation, but if an important point hasn’t come up, don’t be afraid to steer the discussion toward it.

Pro Tip: Moderators have the toughest job—they act as conductors of an orchestra, guiding the discussion’s rhythm and tone. The best ones will make it effortless for you! Meet them in advance to get in alignment.

2. Engage with the Listeners

Fireside chats often include Q&A segments, making them more dynamic and interactive.

How to Prepare:

• Predict questions. Think through likely questions and prepare a loose 30–60-second response for each.
• Prepare for the tough ones. Anticipate the questions you hope you don’t get and have a clear, concise answer ready.
• Stay composed. Suppose an unexpected question catches you off guard. In that case, pause before answering—silence for a few seconds is better than rushing into an unclear response.

3. Be Relaxed Yet Informative

Fireside chats are professional but casual—a balance of credibility and approachability.

How to Deliver Well:

• Smile and maintain good posture—but don’t be stiff.
• Use quick stories or examples to illustrate key points. (Plan a few)
• Could you keep it simple? Make complex topics more accessible and engaging.

Pro Tip: The best fireside chat speakers create a “behind-the-scenes” feel—offering insights that go beyond rehearsed corporate messaging.

4. The Biggest Rule of Speaking at a Fireside Chat

Don’t Over-Speak—Make an Impact Quickly

• Get to the point quickly—be crisp, clear, and compelling.
• Use a purposeful pace—avoid rambling, and keep responses within 60 seconds before passing them back to the moderator or a fellow speaker.
• Allow space for moderator engagement and co-speakers—a good fireside chat flows like a great dinner conversation. Don’t ramble or repeat yourself due to nerves or being distracted by the setting, such as media photographers or 50 people nibbling croissants.

Final Thoughts

A well-executed fireside chat creates a genuine, insightful, and engaging experience for the speaker and the audience. And let’s be honest—no one ever complained about a lack of long PowerPoint slides in this format. So, smile, enjoy the experience, and embrace the conversation!

I speak with hundreds of conference speakers a year. In fact, I love doing it because it is great to learn what is being discussed around the world in a variety of industries, and it obviously helps those speaking to say what they say more effectively.

One thing that I constantly hear is how do I make sure that I am keeping people’s attention? This is a great question, however the nervousness behind it is always surprising. Keeping people’s attention is not something to worry about but something to strive for. Since more conferences are a combination of talks and presentations, there are two ways to keep attention:

1. What’s in it for me? In presentations, speakers constantly do a great job of explaining what the information is but not what is in it, more me as the listener! I work with speakers constantly to determine what aspects of their presentation are essential to their listeners and then hone their presentation to focus on that value. If you do that, you will keep people’s attention.
2. I don’t get anything out of this! Most talks are supposed to provide the listeners with thought leadership on important topics. Most talks discuss important topics but fall short of providing anything. What is important is that in each of these talks, someone must moderate or facilitate that conversation correctly, which means setting aside time after each segment of the talk to highlight important terms or ideas that should be remembered by the listeners.

If you are attending a conference and plan to present or give a talk, remember what is in it for me and how you can make sure your listeners get something out of it! This will make every conference you attend more engaging and memorable.