Learning to Change Melissa Emler

As part of our series on event planning and community, Gina Bianchini, founder and CEO of Mighty Networks joins me to talk about why People Magic is more than a set of tools, but a guiding philosophy of making valuable connections between people.

She also explains why many online groups are using their platforms “off-label,” and how Mighty Networks is changing the game in community engagement.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* Why member to member connection is the most important factor to the success for online communities and events







* How Mighty Networks has reimagined the member profile as a site for engagement and connection with other users







* The coming role of AI in community moderation







* How communities get people out of the constant churn of social media content creation









LEARN MORE ABOUT Gina bianchini









* Mighty Networks







* Connect with Gina on LinkedIn









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

In this installment of Off the Cuff Rants on Learning, I’m sharing my unfiltered thoughts and perspectives on accessibility.

A recent experience speaking at an event has accessibility and universal design for learning on my mind, and I want to invite you to consider these issues with me.

Let’s think through how we can remain true to our values of inclusion even when the pressure is on, the tech isn’t working, or other obstacles crop up.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* The incident with a tech issue and an event organizer that left me feeling shaky 







* Our responsibility around accessibility









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

In this installment of Off the Cuff Rants on Learning, I’m diving into the deep end and offering my unfiltered thoughts, passion, and perspectives on a topic that keeps me up at night: Bullying.

These rants aren’t about getting it right on the first try, but about unpacking concepts and facing uncomfortable truths so that we can reflect and revolutionize our understanding of the challenges classrooms face every day.

Let’s start the conversation.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* How I handled reports of bullying as principal of a small, rural school







* What students can gain by going through a conflict resolution process







* Why students need to learn conflict management







* How current systems disempower students who are being bullied









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

Welcome back to our series on creating impactful events.

In the last episode, Liz Lathan asked the question, “You know what would be really fun?” To which I said, “Inviting Liz’s business partner at The Community Factory to talk more about fun and spontaneity in events and dream about what events could be!”

So today, Nicole Osibodu joins me to dig into creating events that aren’t cookie-cutter and build real connections between attendees. She’ll also share about the first secret business trip and being barefoot in the boardroom.

Nicole Osibodu is a hug-addicted visionary and human catalyst with a flair for the unconventional. Her strength is building and growing businesses through community that converts!

For Nicole (and Maya Angelou), the road to success is paved by the people that are part of our communities. Together, we create memorable moments that live on forever in the stories we tell. She’s been fortunate to have been on teams that have built incredible moments for impactful organizations like The White House, Harpo Productions, created the world’s first secret business trips and even Austin's first women's professional sports team.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* Creating a formula that makes each event feel unique and impactful







* How Nicole and Liz pulled off bringing 80 notoriously Type A professionals on a secret trip







* Why Nicole creates collaborative events that include herself, the attendees, and even the location owners and managers







* The lasting impact in life and business of the tight-knit bonds Nicole’s events create







* How Nicole embraces being a “walking blooper reel” in her brand on LinkedIn









LEARN MORE ABOUT Nicole osibodu









* The Community Factory







* Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn







* Instagram: @thecommunityfactory









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

When dreaming up memorable events, today’s guest’s favorite question to start with is, “You know what would be really fun?”

In this episode, we talk about bringing a flair of fun and spontaneity to your events, how creating shared experiences among peers builds community, and the time she ended up hosting a wedding at a corporate event.

Liz believes that conversations can change the world when you facilitate an open exchange of ideas, and that's what The Community Factory's Spontaneous Think Tanks aim to do. By bringing people together to share challenges and solutions, magical moments of co-creation can emerge. Watching the connections get made and community form right before her eyes lights her up every day.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* Why what happens in “the box” is more important than what the container looks like







* The challenges of creating community experiences at live events in the post-COVID world







* How to create a “Spontaneous Think Tank” that engenders real connection and conversation







* How building emotional connections at your event benefits your brand







* Breaking away from the keynote, breakout, expo conference format







* Why the fun has to be tied to memorable content







* Five key Cs for building community at your events









LEARN MORE ABOUT Liz lathan









* The Community Factory







* Connect with Liz on LinkedIn









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

At Modern Learners, we help people and organizations host meaningful events. We focus on designing high-quality learning events and leverage a variety of design techniques and tools to do that.

In this new series, we’re digging into some of those design techniques and tools by speaking with a variety of industry experts. Each of our guests will bring their expertise and point of view on various facets of event planning and execution, from budgeting nuances, to creative activations, to evolving attendee expectations.

Today, I’m speaking with Michael Helmbrecht of RingCentral about how technology can empower attendees and transform the dynamics of virtual, hybrid, and on-site events. We'll explore the crucial concept of attendee agency, delving into how it shapes the events, and the event experience and the pivotal role technology and AI play in facilitating this.

Michael Helmbrecht is the VP of Product Management for Video at RingCentral, which he joined in April 2022. He has extensive product and operating experience. Before RingCentral, Michael was Chief Product Officer at  AmplifAI, an AI performance enablement platform for contact center employees. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at Lifesize and Logitech working in the video conferencing and contact center markets in Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer roles. Michael also spent 9-years at Dell in product and marketing leadership positions.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR how:









* RingCentral Events approaches the challenges of hybrid or fully virtual events and allows organizers to build engaging experiences







* Balance opportunities for attendees to engage with each other with the ability to be an observer







* RingCentral Events is integrating AI tools to make it easier for organizers to produce high-value events







* Virtual events are changing the monetization and expo models of traditional conferences and trade shows









LEARN MORE ABOUT RINGCENTRAL









* Website









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community