Long ago we had meetings around a campfire. A small group of people in a circle, listening to stories, debating, conversing, learning from each other.
Much later, in more recent ages, only the rich and powerful could talk to larger groups, armies and other audiences.
And even more recently, thanks to sound equipment, we all can afford to address a public, larger than the campfire crowd.

John Nawn helps in designing creative and innovative meeting formats for higher effectiveness. He is a speaker on the topic of Meeting design.

ScienceDaily (June 25, 2010) — Psychologists report in the journal Science that interpersonal interactions can be shaped, profoundly yet unconsciously, by the physical attributes of incidental objects: Resumes reviewed on a heavy clipboard are judged to be more substantive, while a negotiator seated in a soft chair is less likely to drive a hard bargain.

From Lifelong Education to Lifelong Learning Lifelong learning - along with ideas such as 'the learning society' - has become popular with politicians and policymakers in a number of countries. But what do people mean by it? Is the idea of lifelong learning helpful? Contents: education is life - lifelong education - lifelong learning - conclusion  - further reading

Follow the Leader: How Those in Charge Make Themselves Known ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2010) — Do you find yourself leading groups, or are you naturally more comfortable following others? New research shows that if you want to be a leader you're better off at the edges of a crowd, and not in the middle of the action.

MeetingMetrics’ Heritage – GuideStar Research The MeetingMetricsSM online service is based on 25 years of meeting measurement experience of its parent company, GuideStar Research.

Allan and Barbara Pease remind us that 80% of men can do only one thing at a time. So what about all those speakers showing slides, overloaded with text, while they keep on talking? And the movie industry proves us that it is possible to keep an audience attention during 2 hours non-stop. So, what is their secret? 'Meeting effectiveness' is very much under attack today. How can we change meetings into an effective and motivating experience?

FaceTime, the newly launched marketing body for the live events industry has unveiled the findings from the industry’s first-ever psychological study of the power of live. Using new research techniques, the findings explain how live events work and reveal the unique attributes of going face-to-face with customers as part of a sales and marketing strategy.