--- title: "Jeffrey Cufaude: One Session, Many Approaches" id: "28781" type: "post" slug: "jeffrey-cufaude-one-session-many-approaches" published_at: "2015-06-02T19:01:48+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T17:53:07+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/06/02/jeffrey-cufaude-one-session-many-approaches/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/06/02/jeffrey-cufaude-one-session-many-approaches.md" excerpt: "How many kinds of learning can you fit into an hour? The answer, according to MM&C Conference presenter Jeffrey Cufaude, is more than you think. Also: Fretting over an event? Learn a few things from Home Alone. Really." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Employee Training" - "fan engagement" - "Meetings" - "Membership" - "Session" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Jeffrey Cufaude: One Session, Many Approaches On Monday, Idea Architects Principal Jeffrey Cufaude brought his big ideas to ASAE’s Marketing, Membership & Communications Conference. These included a lot of smart insights on member engagement. And now that he’s done with his presentation, he has some thoughts on how it went. His session featured a mix of standard presenting, direct audience engagement, and learning-lab-based approaches—something he described to his audience as a stream of appetizers. While he encouraged people to work together, he didn’t force them to if they felt more comfortable working solo. In the end, it was a lot of different stuff, but it all hung together without a lot of extra clutter. “I hope the participants experienced the session as focused, hands-on, and fast-paced—but not rushed—as that’s what all my design planning and prep was intended to create,” [he explained in a blog post on his firm’s site (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ideaarchitects.org/2015/06/behind-scenes-designing-interactive-60.html) . “While I’d much rather have done this session in a 75- or 90-minute time block, I feel good about what we were able to do in only 60.” ### Home Alone Advice **Ahhhh!!!!** Perhaps the most clever blog post we’ve seen in a while comes from MemberClicks’ Callie Walker, [who ties event planning to many people’s favorite movie ever, Home Alone (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.memberclicks.com/8-lessons-event-planners-can-learn-from-home-alone) . “Kevin McCallister never panicked when Harry and Marv broke into his house,” she writes. “He had a plan—and a backup plan at that. When a fire arises, stay calm, remember your plan, and make rational decisions.” Be sure to read on for a good giggle. *(ht @[memberclicks (opens in a new tab)](http://twitter.com/MemberClicks/status/605735715725582337) )* ### Other Links of Note ***“*****When you are stuck at the bottom of a pit,** find a way out. Don’t waste energy griping about how you got there*.”* — [David M. Patt, founder of Association Executive Management (opens in a new tab)](http://aem-patt.com/aem-blog/index.php?itemid=1970) . **How should nonprofit organizations** use Twitter? [This SocialFish guest post (opens in a new tab)](http://www.socialfish.org/2015/06/how-nonprofit-pros-use-twitter/) by John Haydon should get you thinking. **Pinterest’s strategy for monetization?** The company is [planning to add “buy” buttons (opens in a new tab)](http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/01/pinterest-buy-button/) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. 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