I have returned from what is informally called the Trends conference, more specifically Trends in Occupational Studies: A Conference for Michigan Community College Educators. It is held every year at the magnificent Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in beautiful Traverse City (well, specifically, Acme) Michigan. The Grand Traverse Bay area in mid October is always a crap shoot. We're as likely to have snow as sun. In the case of this week, it was crappy: wicked winds and raw temperatures.

As with any conference, I can't help but track the trends among educators as presenters and as audience members.

Trend #1: By the second morning, many participants have either already abandoned the conference or have decided to choose other options than keynote speaker #2. A room that had been completely full the day before was now barely 60% full, which was a shame because Katherine Lagana, VP of Global Product Development at LexisNexis, had some great things to say about "disruptor talent," the kind of employees who are assets and not anchors to an organization. I was particularly enamored with Lagana's notion that great ideas usually come from "first followers" not necessarily the leaders.

But this leads me to Trend #2: Educators can be as rude as the students we maligned in at least three, yes, three, breakout sessions on civility and incivility among students. As Lagana's presentation concludes, with fifteen minutes for questions, a collective buzz arises throughout the whole room as attendees talk about where they are heading next or what time they will be getting home or where the closest Starbuck's is. Meanwhile, an appropriate question is asked. No one can hear it (it doesn't help that no one has considered having a microphone in the audience), and few seem interested in Lagana's response.

Trend #3: Educators, as a general rule, don't know when to shut up. As discussions often occur during the q and a section of a presentation, questions can take longer to be asked than the thorough answer to it. The questioner inevitably is trying to show his or her brilliance while asking the question, and often the presenter feels compelled to have the last word, even when the discussion has merely been reinforcing the presentation already given.

Trend #4: Some of us are just bad presenters. It's as simple as that. I sit through presentations that if they were teaching demos, I NEVER would have hired the person. I'll be nice and reference no specific sessions or presenters.

Trend #5: Socializing. Let's face it, that's the best part of conferencing. Seeing your colleagues from other institutions, suffering with the same challenges as you are. Seeing those former co-workers from colleges and universities where you used to work, cackling over the "have you heard . . . !" moments. I was even blessed to see a former student, one of those excellent students who made it all worth it when teaching. I had written reference letters for him to get into both graduate school and land his first job. Sure, that makes me feel a little old, but not nearly as old as some of the PowerPoints I sat through.