There’s a really important question people are asking, and it’s one I’m afraid is falling on deaf ears as #eventprofs advocate a new model of engagement, education and event design.
It’s “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM). And it comes in many forms, including: “Why should I care?”; “How is this useful?”; “Why should I invest time/money in this?” and “Why is this better than what we already do?”
If we want anything to change, WIIFM is first question we should answer when we’re pitching something new, whether our purpose is to educate, correct, consult, engage or change.
Resistance comes when you forget to mention WIIFM
Last month, I was executing an event in Sarasota for group of travel writers. Like many associations, the membership skews older. In a session on essentials for Web design, the instructor began to talk about new forms of journalism our members could use to engage audiences virtually. As she started explaining how to livestream written and recorded content through an online portal people could subscribe to and comment on in real-time, a woman in her 60s interrupted her and said: “I’m sorry, but I can’t see how this will ever be useful.”
