How to Appeal to All Personality Types at Your Next Conference
There’s a reason savvy conference and event planners offer plenty of choices to attendees. Every person is unique.
With an option of conference facilities that seat from 30 to 130
persons, Granny Mouse Country House & Spa can accommodate intimate or larger business meetings, company teambuilding sessions, product launches, or corporate conferences. They also have 32 rooms and a 12-sleeper Farmhouse, just 900 metres from the hotel.
There is a spa on site that offers fabulous treatments which can be
specifically designed to fit into your package, leaving guests feeling
pampered and rejuvenated after their conference.
They also offer a host of teambuilding activities to put the fun back
into the workplace. Whatever your ideas, they can make it happen.
For a primer on how to engage with different personality types that
can be expected at your conference, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator model is appropriate. We’ve compiled a list of the eight types and tips to ensure each one is getting the value they need out of the experience.
The Social Butterfly-Extroversion
This is the person making friends at the banquet and in line for the
bathrooms. They’re not afraid to start a conversation with anyone, but they understand the line between connecting and annoying. They come prepared with business cards and their elevator pitch, and they know how to foster relationships when the event has come to its close.
How to engage: Networking and cocktail hours are Social Butterflies’ best friends. By giving these attendees an outlet for their chatty tendencies, you may be able to limit their need to talk their way through a speaker’s presentation.
The benefit: These social butterflies will also benefit other
attendees slower to converse, helping you to kill two birds with one
stone.
The Wallflower-Introversion
The Wallflower isn’t disengaged, rude or ignoring the presentation,
they just prefer to stay in the background. They’re equally as
invested as Social Butterflies and are attentive to everything they
hear. The cocktail hour is the most intimidating part of the event,
and groups aren’t their forte.
How to engage: Encourage one-on-one time with experts during social hours or following their presentations. With less pressure to deliver the perfect question and more time to have an intimate conversation, your attendee will participate at their comfort level.
The benefit: One-on-one time with the professionals can be useful to anyone, especially those who may not have had time to ask a question or have ideas they want opinions on. Everyone will feel heard and fulfilled.
The Realist–Sensing
They believe in the cold hard facts; they want statistics and evidence to support any statements. They appreciate learning from experience rather than hearing hypotheticals and attend panels with those who have accomplished what the Realist hopes to achieve as well.
How to engage: Place emphasis on experts who have been there, done that. The Realist learns best from those who can make a claim and back it up, both statistically and experientially. You can help teach the Realist by allowing them to gather the facts and then putting together the big picture themselves.
The benefit: You can never go wrong by stating the facts. Everybody likes numbers that add substance to a speech, and any surprising statistics will stick.
The Daydreamer–Intuition
The opposite of the Realist, Daydreamers look at the big picture first and foremost, then find the facts that help to support their goals.
They have plenty of dreams and ambitions, but they occasionally feel overwhelmed by what it will take to achieve them.
How to engage: Daydreamers will also benefit from one-on-one time with an expert, and a panel or keynote speaker that details how to achieve success will draw them in. By emphasising that accomplishments are within reach, the Daydreamer will feel reinvigorated and inspired to start tackling any obstacles.
The benefit: An uplifting keynote speaker will encourage Daydreamers to triumph- optimism rubs off on everyone, especially those with similar desires of success. It will leave everyone in a positive mood.
The Spy–Thinking
The Spy is there to see who or what their competitors are doing. They are the analytical person companies send to size up the competition.
They remain fair when judging where the competitors succeed- and where they falter. They can occasionally be seen as indifferent rather than impartial.
How to engage: Be transparent. Spies will appreciate when you
acknowledge a mistake and correct it, rather than try to cover it up-
no matter how impartial they are. Put your best foot forward and
demonstrate what you’re capable of, but don’t panic if something goes awry. The Spy will make a note of it if you’re graceful when handling a mistake, especially if their company acts less so.
The benefit: Being transparent ups your credibility among all
attendees. No one wants to feel confused or lied to; by being
transparent (and responsive), people are more likely to forgive a faux pas.
The People-Person-Feeling
The People-Person is less about becoming friends with everybody in the room and more focused on keeping the peace. They want to make sure everyone is comfortable and having a good time. They can be overly tactful and expend energy on others’ experiences rather than their own.
How to engage: Have check-ins with your attendees regularly. If you take initiative, the People-Person will feel less inclined to play
host or hostess and focus on their own experience, rather than how
others are responding to the panel discussion.
The benefit: By checking in with guests regularly, you can gauge how well your event is going and find any blips that may put a damper on the experience (social media is especially useful).
The Hard Worker-Judging
Hard Workers are enchanted by their to-do lists and believe you must work hard before you can play. They’ll make the most of your event by choosing workshops they want to attend for one specific purpose or nugget of information. They tend to be extremely organised because they need to feel in control.
How to engage: Have solid times for each of your presentations – a set agenda and a place where any questions can be answered. Having multiple speakers, workshops and panels is encouraged due to the amount of knowledge you can spread, covering many of the Hard Worker’s interests.
The benefit: When you have your ducks in a row, attendees feel
confident in your abilities, and you’ll feel less stress knowing all
your bases are covered.
The Knowledge-Seeker–Perceiving
The Knowledge-Seeker looks forward to learning as much as they can from the top experts. They will attend every workshop and keynote speech they can fit into their schedule and are open to any
information they can get their hands on.
How to engage them: By putting together an agenda filled with
information, you’ve already enhanced the Knowledge-Seeker’s
experience. When scheduling panels and workshops with professionals, consider limiting the speakers’ time to allow questions from the audience.
The benefit: Other attendees most likely have questions. Even if they aren’t as prepared as the Knowledge-Seeker, they’ll still be able to learn about something that piques their interest.
Take advantage of Granny Mouse’s Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday conference specials. These include either day conferencing or with accommodation and meals. Visit www.grannymouse.co.za/about-2/ for all their specials.
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