Name: Tell Your Risk Management Story: How to Better Share Incidents From the Field to Sharpen Your Skills, Strengthen Learning Outcomes, and Enhance Your Career
Start: 2026-10-22T13:30:00-0700
End: 2026-10-22T14:30:00-0700

Main Conference: Tuesday October 20 - Thursday, October 22, 2026

Preconference: Monday October 19 - Tuesday, October 20, 2026

*Schedule subject to change.

Tell Your Risk Management Story: How to Better Share Incidents From the Field to Sharpen Your Skills, Strengthen Learning Outcomes, and Enhance Your Career

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT

Weyerhaeuser

When you work in the field long enough, you soon find yourself with a catalog of stories to tell at happy hour, or around the campfire, about the incidents and near misses you’ve experienced in your career. These stories can be challenging to share, or quite exciting and fun. The presenters of this workshop will argue that storytelling is a skill that can be developed, and is a skill that has immense value for guides and educators who both manage risk in the wilderness setting, and teach others to develop their own risk management practices. First, this workshop will give participants an opportunity to “tell” a personal risk management story. Then, attendees will receive some guiding frameworks on how to increase the impact of their story based on the goal of sharing their story, and the venue in which the story is shared. The discussion will prompt weaving the story into their debrief practices, lesson plans, and job interviews. This workshop will be of value for all attendees, but may be of particular utility for earlier career field professionals looking to reflect and speak to recent incidents in their developing career.

Speakers

Matt Leslie

Associate Director, Custom Education, NOLS

Matt Leslie is the Associate Director of Business Development for NOLS Custom Education, helping bring the NOLS curriculum and experiential learning to their wide-ranging partner organizations. Matt is also a senior field instructor for NOLS, leading backpacking, rock climbing, and... Read More →

Zach Taylor

Senior Field Instructor, NOLS

Zach Taylor (he/him) is a NOLS field and wilderness medicine instructor with 7 years leading wilderness expeditions across North America. In addition to field work, Zach has become increasingly passionate about the intentional development of new field instructors — serving on NOLS... Read More →

Thursday October 22, 2026 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
Weyerhaeuser 909 N Hayden Island Dr, Portland, OR 97217

Field Practices, Breakout Session

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2026 Wilderness Risk Management Conference

Matt Leslie

Zach Taylor

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2026 Wilderness Risk Management Conference

Matt Leslie

Zach Taylor

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