The LavaCon Content Strategy Conference | 27–30 October 2024 | Portland, OR
Andrea Ames

Andrea’s passion is for supporting people to become wildly successful at work and in business. Embracing that we bring our whole selves to work, she has supported hundreds of business owners, executives, leaders, and teams to grow and honor their humanity as individuals while getting business done.

After 35 years in strategic, corporate roles focused on capability building, learning and development, and content and customer experience, Andrea started her business, Idyll Point™ Group, to take that work beyond a single company and broaden her impact. Her small-business clients call her the Customer Success Jedi, and she is an ICF certified coach, a trainer and facilitator, as well as a sought-after keynote speaker, an author of numerous articles and two award-winning technical books.

You can find out more about Andrea, how to connect with her on all the socials, and how to book time on her calendar from her website (https://idyllpointgroup.com).

Synergy: A Crowdsourced Exercise in Learning Retention

Have you ever attended a conference or another learning event, gotten inspired, had a bazillion ideas, took a notebook FULL of notes? (If you attended LavaCon last year, this is probably familiar! SO MUCH LEARNING!) And have you gone back to the office, put your notebook on your desk where you’d see it, or on the shelf right above your computer monitor, so you’ll “have it right there?” (Confess, we’ve all done this!) Then have you forgotten, for the most part, about that notebook? Moved it around your desk…finally put it in the bookcase behind you or in a drawer?

If you attended the closing session at LavaCon 2022, you can likely say, “No! I didn’t do this!” Want to know why? At that closing session, we took time to review, reflect, and share our takeaways, and we learned ways to foil the normal “forgetting curve” that we are all subject to.

This year, Andrea is upping the ante: All of that, and more! Would you like to also hear the biggest insights from ALL of the LavaCon sessions on Monday and Tuesday? AND avoid the “forgetting curve?” Then join us! (And avoid feeling guilty when you attend the NEXT learning event, because you realize you haven’t implemented any of the ideas, yet, from that LAST conference!)

Using the Whole Box of Crayons: Conscious Leadership in Uncertain Times

Co-presented with: Katherine Brown-Hoekstra

“Leadership is not about a role or a title, but rather leadership is an act of influence [and a way of being]. Each of us is a leader because each of us has influence.”–Dr. Daniel Friedland
To be effective leaders in a rapidly changing world, we need a bigger box of crayons and new ways of connecting with our teams. True leadership begins with our inner work, which enables us to remain centered, flexible, and resilient, even in the midst of a crisis so that we can creatively serve our teams.
During this double session, we will explore how neuroscience and mindfulness can move us from states of reactivity to creativity and allow us to tap into our greatest strengths so that we can lead holistically. We will learn about the power of the pause, how to incorporate micro-moments of mindfulness into our daily lives, why the questions we ask matter and how to create better ones. We will build connections with each other, and gain a basic understanding of the power of appreciative inquiry.

In this session, attendees will learn:

  • How neurology influences your capacity to be an effective leader
  • At least three techniques for building your self-leadership capability and capacity
  • How to begin creating and asking more effective questions
  • How appreciative inquiry can expand your capacity for leadership, improve your change management, and create a better corporate culture

Beyond Design Thinking: Innovation through Co-Creation and Questions

Understanding and leading workshops is just scratching the surface of the power of Design Thinking. Join Andrea for this completely experiential workshop to dive deep on the concepts and practices that underlie Design Thinking.

Together, we will ask ourselves the right questions and co-create innovation for … guess who? … Jack and the LavaCon Conference! Throughout the workshop, Andrea will break down and debrief the experience to provide her tips and tricks for leading super-successful Design Thinking workshops of your own.

If you’ve taken Andrea’s “Design Thinking for Content” workshop in the past, this will take your skills and impact to the next level. If you’ve never taken Andrea’s workshop, you’ll learn the “Design Thinking for Content” process AND enjoy the magic of participating in a Design Thinking experience.