Associations West 2026 (Dave Collins Sessions)

The opening 30 minute conference section. A slimmed table-based version of Building Connections, run in groups of three so nobody has to perform for the whole room. Three rounds move from Activities to Principles to Challenges, deepening as they go. Closes with a recall prompt on names so attendees leave the first half hour actually knowing three people.

The 75 minute main session. Opens with the Story of the Oak and the Reeds to frame flexibility as the thing that survives change, then establishes the Failure Bow as the safety mechanism for the rest of the hour. I'm a Tree is played at tables and debriefed into the core Yes And teach: accepting versus blocking, the value and cost of each, and phrasing that carries the mindset without the literal words. Word at a Time Expert closes the practice arc with thinking on your feet. Ends with an association-specific application and a single commitment.

The 15 minute closing conference section. Attendees submit a real collaboration challenge through a live poll in the virtual workbook. The tally wall sorts the room into themes, and Dave works two or three of them live, calling on submitters by name and running the group through a fast Yes And build on each. Designed to send people to the happy hour with a concrete next move rather than a summary slide.