We woke to a gray snowy scene outside our window. Thankfully our hotel is just a minute walk away. Before I head to the first session let me tell you something…I’ve got a secret. Which I’ll be divulging tomorrow. For now, let’s just say I’ve had to embrace my second “career.” So, this session was perfect this morning!
Becoming a Genealogy Speaker: From Preparation to Presentation
Presented by Cheri Hudson Passey
I arrived early to room 155A (despite getting lost AGAIN!) after a nice chat with Judy Missel and Kathy (last name??) at the IAJGS table. They gave me some insider info about Fort Wayne in August—it sounds like it’ll be a great conference! More about that in another post.
Cheri shared lots off good information on becoming a speaker. By the end of her talk, I was feeling pretty good about my speaking skills.
At that meeting, I met Sara Zagrodzky, the president of the Middlesex Genealogical Society of Darien, CT. Did you know Darien was originally called Middlesex Parish in the 1600s? I had no idea! Interesting tidbit – her husband is the mayor of Darien. Hopefully, we will connect again to share ideas for presenters for our genealogy societies.
After that session, Cheryl and I met up with Lynne Bliss.
We decided to forego the keynote since yesterday’s was a little “eh.” It’s recorded anyway, so we can watch it later if we want. That gave us time to have a little fun dressing up! I was the Peruvian caballero sandwiched between two lovely ladies from Mexico.
Lynne and I even managed to jump in on the last five minutes of our Daily Sprinters Zoom call!
Lunch? Lynne picked up some Greek food and Cheryl and I had leftovers from dinner. We ate in the hotel lobby since there’s only one chair in our room.
Then it was time for the annual Geneabloggers group pic! Cheryl did a great job for the second year in a row as our unofficial photographer.
Afternoon Sessions Begin
First up:
Our Issues Are in Our Tissues: How Family Stories Make Us Stronger by Devin Ashby.
He talked about how our stories—especially the difficult ones—make us who we are. Your DNA is full of stories, which is why I named my blog Who We Are and How We Got This Way.
Some key takeaways:
- When telling family stories, keep a balanced narrative.
- Start where you are.
- Reframe the story.
- Connect to others through your story.
- Kids who know their family history are more resilient and less isolated.
Two suggestions when sharing difficult stories:
- Find good people to share your stories with.
- Write it down.
The healing power of writing can help shift our narratives into healthier ones.
Devin also had us do an activity based on The New York Times 100-word narrative. Here’s mine:
An object I own that says a lot about me is my Topo Gigio bobblehead (the little Italian mouse from the 1960s). When I look at it, I’m reminded of simpler days watching Ed Sullivan with my Omi. My sister Jeanne found it somewhere a few years ago and gave it to me. I appreciated that she thought of me and knew I’d love it.
Topo reminds me of myself—small, kind of squeaky, and a little weird (in a good way).
From Topo, I learned that even the smallest creature can be beloved and remembered, so long as they are kind.
Cheryl said she never heard of Topo Gigio, so for those of you who also don’t know, here’s a pic of my bobblehead:
Did you know you can now do voice-to-text stories and attach them to photos on FamilySearch.org? Devin shared an AI-generated podcast about one of his ancestors, created using Notebook LM. It wasn’t 100% accurate, but his point was that younger generations want more than just the written word.
I really liked Devin’s message at the end of the presentation,, encouraging us to write our stories:
If you don’t tell your story, AI might!
After that session, I volunteered for an hour at the IAJGS booth (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) and had a great time! I met a woman who is both Iroquois and Jewish—not a combo you hear every day! She shared how similar Native American beliefs are to Judaism. I’m going to her table tomorrow—she might be a fascinating speaker for our Jewish Genealogy Society.
The last session of the day was a panel discussion:
Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Genealogy.
This panel discussion featured:
- Steve Little
- Kathy Behling
- David Ouimette
- Mark Thompson
- Lynn Broderick (who’s in my writing group!)
Today they announced the formation of a new group, the Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy
The folks listed above, along with many others, including Thomas MacEntee, James Tanner, and Blaine Bettinger, been working on developing guiding principles, which can be found at craigen.org.
Each panelist shared how they used AI this week. One key takeaway: disclosure depends on context—are you writing for yourself? A client? Editing your own work?
Privacy tip: If there’s a piece of information you wouldn’t hang above the office water cooler, don’t put it in a chatbot.
After the session I said hello to my writing pal, Lynn. Hopefully we will get together tomorrow. I owe her a cup of coffee for being the go-between in helping secure Steve Little as a speaker for JGSCT in February.
After a pleasant dinner with Cheryl, Lynne Bliss, and her husband Frank, we were back at the Radisson to rest up for the last day of the conference. Looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures, including my big reveal… stay tuned!
Who We Are and How We Got This Way 
Really enjoying your daily recaps, Deb! Also you look so colorful in Mexico. And BTW, I remember giggling at Topo Gigio on the Ed Sullivan Show so that just means I’m officially ancient LOL
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