Comments on: Seven days of speeches make one weak http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/seven-speeches-make-me-week/ Politics, brains, social action and the day to day life of the RSA’s chief executive Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:15:48 +0000 hourly 1 By: matthewtaylor http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/seven-speeches-make-me-week/comment-page-1/#comment-3864 matthewtaylor Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:03:37 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2498#comment-3864 Thanks Emma I think my piece on this topic is in the Times tomorrow Thanks Emma

I think my piece on this topic is in the Times tomorrow

]]> By: emma http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/seven-speeches-make-me-week/comment-page-1/#comment-3789 emma Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:44:37 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2498#comment-3789 I am lucky enough to be a public servant who is able to attend a number of different conferences and events as part of my work, and am able to say with some degree of confidence that over the past year neither the cost of the event, nor the reputation or track record of the organiser can give any indication of the quality of the content. And with reference to your point about having core material which can be used in different settings, I now know that it doesn't matter where Wayne Hemingway speaks, to whom or about what but that it will be the same stuff.. interesting and amusing first time round, amusing second, less and less so each subsequent time, which is a shame. I am lucky enough to be a public servant who is able to attend a number of different conferences and events as part of my work, and am able to say with some degree of confidence that over the past year neither the cost of the event, nor the reputation or track record of the organiser can give any indication of the quality of the content. And with reference to your point about having core material which can be used in different settings, I now know that it doesn’t matter where Wayne Hemingway speaks, to whom or about what but that it will be the same stuff.. interesting and amusing first time round, amusing second, less and less so each subsequent time, which is a shame.

]]> By: mas http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/seven-speeches-make-me-week/comment-page-1/#comment-3743 mas Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:37:38 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2498#comment-3743 I organised events over a few years and it used to really get on my nerves that if we offered an event aimed at public sector workers for free it would be difficult to recruit. If we offered the same event at a cost it was less so - even more dumb was that somebody correctly pointed out to me that in order to attract an audience of chief executives the cost had to increase significantly - the content as you point out was irrelevant. All of which serves to keep people in various jobs in marketing to impart such wisdom, and then various paper pushing roles to spend allocated budgets etc. etc. which leads to something I've long wondered about which is how many jobs in the public sector are not there through necessity, but there in the main simply to sustain themselves? It's also a good reason to support unconferences - among many others! I organised events over a few years and it used to really get on my nerves that if we offered an event aimed at public sector workers for free it would be difficult to recruit. If we offered the same event at a cost it was less so – even more dumb was that somebody correctly pointed out to me that in order to attract an audience of chief executives the cost had to increase significantly – the content as you point out was irrelevant.

All of which serves to keep people in various jobs in marketing to impart such wisdom, and then various paper pushing roles to spend allocated budgets etc. etc. which leads to something I’ve long wondered about which is how many jobs in the public sector are not there through necessity, but there in the main simply to sustain themselves?

It’s also a good reason to support unconferences – among many others!

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