I was at the CME Congress in Toronto last week, where there was lots of talk about core competencies for various types of physicians–the things they absolutely have to know to do their jobs. There also was a lot of discussion about what the docs think they know versus their real knowledge base, and ways docs can self-test (usually through a Web site) to determine whether or not they needed to learn what a particular activity covered (went to a very good session on this and would be glad to share–please e-mail me if you’d like particulars).

Just curious how that might translate to meeting professionals:

What would you say are the core competencies meeting professionals must have?

How would you feel if those who provide your continuing education provided voluntary, anonymous self-tests you could take to learn which of these core competencies in reality may need honing and which you’re already up to snuff on, regardless of where you think your skill levels are in each of the areas?

Personally, I’d love to see this in my profession, because what I think I’m good at and what I’m actually good at may very well be two different things. (Of course, the stuff I probably should bone up on is probably the boring stuff and not the cool sessions I’d want to go to at a meeting–that’d be the downside. But it would probably guilt me into going.) While this goes a little against my philosophy that people should be encouraged to do more of what they’re good at instead of forced to improve what they’re bad at, I do think there are basics that everyone in a profession must know to be able to do their job, and this could be a relatively objective way to gauge what someone’s real learning needs are.

What do you all think?

If your attendees tend to be on the affluent side, the American Express Platinum Luxury Survey, a new study of the affluent consumer, suggests that you may want to kick it up a notch when it comes to accommodations, dining, and special events, because they’re no longer about keeping up with the Jones’ stuff.

“In the real world, affluent consumers aren’t relaxing poolside or eating bonbons,” said Peggy Maher, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Charge Card, American Express “They’re working long hours, juggling personal and professional lives, and are constantly pressed for time. For instance, our affluent cardmembers are looking to ease their busy, often hectic, lives with experiences that will make them feel special… The most popular experiences are fine dining and luxury travel.”

I don’t know how interesting those nTAG interactive badges really are, but one thing you have to say for the company is that they sure have a good PR company–they recently got a writeup in Forbes. And it’s pretty positive, too.

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Meetings, whether corporate, association, or something else, are all about building community, as well as sharing information/education. That’s my take, anyway. If you agree, check out the conversation about the nature of community going on over at Corante’s BrandShift. What constitutes a community? What keeps one functioning? How do online communities compare to off-line? So many questions–I can’t begin to do it justice here without writing a 20-page post, so if you’re interested, give it a read and join in the conversation. It’s fascinating stuff.

Seth Godin has a great post about a phenomenon I’m all too familiar with, though I had no idea there was a name for it: Yak shaving. As Seth explains it, it’s when you need to do one thing, say, wash the car, but then realize you have to get a new hose first, which entails at trip to Home Depot, which entails a bunch more things, and before you know it, you’re shaving a yak at the zoo to get your car washed. We’ve all been there.

Lesson learned?

The minute you start walking down a path toward a yak shaving party, it’s worth making a compromise. Doing it well now is much better than doing it perfectly later.

Good food for thought, especially if you work with a team of yak-shavers.

If you like jazz and cool animation, check out what Michael Levy’s done with "Giant Steps" by John Coltraine. It’s an amazing visualization of the music–I was mesmerized. More about the project is here.

(via Anil Dash, who comes up with some really great stuff.)