Telling a Story with Keynotes at AIIM Conference 2024

Storytelling has been a trending tactic for event planners for the past couple years. And with good reason. Stories enrich experiences and make education and messaging more memorable. Here's how we are incorporating storytelling at the AIIM Conference 2024 in San Antonio, Texas, April 3-5 and some tips for how you can incorporate storytelling tactics when planning your own meetings and events. 

Importance of Storytelling in Change Management and Information Management

Successful change management is vital to the success of any information project or transformation. The Certified Information Professional Study Guide* defines change management as the "application of the set of tools, processes, skills and principles for managing the people side of change to achieve the required outcomes of a change project or initiative.”

Change management is about people, making communications with stakeholders an important element of any change management strategy. To make the most of communications during change management, information management practitioners should aim for memorable communications during projects. You want your message to be "sticky" to reduce the need for repetition and ensure understanding and compliance with new processes.

Storytelling dramatically enhances communications. Harvard Business Review wrote that "psychologist Jerome Bruner’s research suggest that facts are 20 times more likely to be remembered if they’re part of a story."

I'll give you an example of the value of storytelling version simply conveying information, based on a real-life scenario I experienced. Which statement do you find more memorable? 

1. We have a standard operating procedure during quality assurance to ensure that any record belonging to a deceased individual has been removed from mailing lists.
2. A few years ago, we failed to do quality assurance on a mailing list and accidentally sent mail to deceased individuals. This cost our organization unnecessary postage and print fees and, most importantly and unfortunately, we deeply hurt people who received the mailers.

I learned of this SOP by hearing the story version and years later, I still remember the SOP and the story. 

*I highly recommend the CIP Study Guide as an exam prep tool and a helpful reference for information management practitioners. The guide is available to all AIIM members in the online community. 

How We Are Telling the Story of AIIM's New Strategy at AIIM24

At the AIIM Conference 2024, we sought to identify three keynote presentations that go beyond the traditional motivational speaker and instead deliver industry-specific insights. We also wanted to align this year’s keynotes with our new AIIM Strategy System and build awareness of the new strategy.

We decided to use storytelling via our keynote presentations to make AIIM's new vision for the intelligent information management industry more interesting and memorable for conference participants. Each keynote presentation represents an objective in our new Strategy System:

1. Empower Leaders
2. Expand Our Network 
3. Enable Artificial Intelligence & Innovation

Tip #1 - Identify opportunities to improve communications with storytelling. While it may not always be appropriate to use, most situations where you want to ensure messaging is "sticky" benefit from storytelling.

Goals of Keynotes at AIIM 

We knew we wanted to use the keynotes and storytelling to communicate our new strategy at the AIIM Conference 2024, but we had to get more specific about our goals. 

We see AIIM Conference 2024 as a way to directly engage our community in the new Strategy System and provide a platform that sparks conversation and encourages members to contribute to the ever-evolving strategy.

Thus, we came up with two goals:

1. We wanted to feature keynote speakers who epitomize each objective, but also can start a healthy debate about the meaning of the objective and how AIIM should accomplish that objective.
2. We also wanted to ensure participant gain unique insights into the future of the intelligent information management industry and practical guidance on how to navigate that future. 

A "tall order" perhaps, but we have found five, fantastic keynote speakers and topics for AIIM24 that do just that. 

Tip #2 - Define your goals for your meeting attendees or communication recipients. What do you want them to know after hearing the story? How do you want them to feel? What action should the story inspire? 

Keynotes at AIIM Conference 2024

I am pleased to share the keynote presentations for AIIM Conference 2024. Have a look and then I'd love to hear your thoughts. Are you interested in these stories? What questions would you ask our keynote speakers (aka storytellers)? 

Change Leadership - Your Key to Business Results & Professional Differentiation 

April 3, 1:30-2:40 p.m. CT 

Leading large-scale change is one of the most difficult challenges we will face during our careers. In information management, the rate of change is higher today than it has ever been, and people across all industries are finding themselves in change-saturated organizations.  In this opening keynote, we are Empowering Leaders, a key priority and objective of our new strategy, by empowering you.   

Join strategist and former technology leader Carla Howard as she shares how to differentiate yourself by serving as a strong executive sponsor or front-line leader of change. Walk away with specific actions and behaviors that lead to desired results whether you are responsible for small adjustments to a process, continuous improvement projects, or enterprise transformation.  

Fusing Frontiers: The Convergence of Data and Information in the Digital Age 

April 4, 9:00-10:00 a.m. CT 

The practices of data management and information management are rapidly growing and increasingly overlapping. In our new strategy, we seek to Expand Our Network by breaking down traditional silos and are building the information practice network of the future. In this thought-provoking keynote, Dr. Peter Aiken, celebrated author and President of DAMA International, will share a state of the data management industry. Dr. Aiken will uncover key trends impacting chief data officers and data managers and forecast what’s ahead for the industry. Then, join Dr. Aiken and AIIM President & CEO Tori Miller Liu for a fireside chat where we will explore the evolving relationship between data management and information management.  

The Future of Information Management in the Age of AI 

April 5, 11:40 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CT 

For 80 years, AIIM has provided forward-focused and technology-enabled resources and insights. In the age of AI, we are your primary resource for information management practice using AI as we seek to Enable AI and Innovation.  

In our final keynote, join a panel of industry visionaries as they explore what information management will look like in 2027, 2033, and beyond. Led by respected industry analyst and AIIM Board Member Alan Pelz-Sharpe and featuring industry luminaries Galina Datskovsky and Kashyap Kompella, this enlightening discussion will debate and discuss emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, regulations, compliance, changing practices, and more. Prepare for unsettling, honest insights about the threats and opportunities facing information management as we look at ahead through the prism of transformative technology.  

Reserve Your Spot at #AIIM24 Today 

These keynotes are the capstones to an education-rich event featuring 70+ hours of workshops, quickfire sessions, innovative case studies, roundtable discussions, and more. Participants earn 12 continuing education units towards their CIP.  Reserve your spot at #AIIM24 today and don’t miss the event everyone will be talking about for the rest of the year.