The Public Media Camp unconference was interesting and informative but also presented an interesting lesson; using the social technologies behind the Art of Hosting practice can be like using a car motor to power a boat. It works just fine but you aren’t traveling in the same space.
Presenting
Using check-in is a great way to get people engaged and it can work well even without going further into the conversational format. Following a checkin with endless presentations however leads to the question: why spend the time checking in?
Presentations are excellent for conveying knowledge from a known expert to an audience that is interested in learning. There are plenty of times when this is exactly what you are looking for.
However, the general idea behind an unconference is to get away from that dynamic and to promote conversation; conversation that leads to innovation and new ideas.
Conversation
After using a checkin and then creating space (Open Space) it is important to honor the idea of those open spaces being places of conversation instead of presentation. The people attending these spaces are attending them for passion not for presentation (at least not in an unconference scenario). Let that passion flow instead of keeping it bottled up until the Q/A period of the session (if there is event time for that).
Using the social technologies to create the kind of atmosphere that invites innovation is the most purposeful use of time you can have. Consider this when you’re considering your next conference, unconference or conversation.
Share the Knowledge
The point is to let these passionate and knowledgeble people share what they have, what they know and what action that they are willing to take. This is what creates the change your organization is looking for.
Trust the process, trust the art and you will be rewarded.
