Presentation/lecture/topic conversation-style

Presentation/lecture-conversation-style toward better interaction and more group identification with the addressed subject.

Most of us know the traditional method for speaking event, where the audience listen to the speaker and wait till the end trying to get their questions or comments through the moderator.

Last year I cam a cross new alternative conversation methods which can be an alternative to the way we know about holding a lecture or a speech.

From what I know the most popular methods are:

world-café and open-space-technology

Recently I had the chance to use what I learned there and have developed the conversation style bellow to present and discuss an project idea to some friends in Düsseldorf.

Here is a short description how it has looked like.

In advance:
It is important to know how many people are coming to set up the tools, the infrastructure, the hospital space, the room needed accordingly.

Create a hospital Space:
A bout 1h before starting I have organized the room and spread the tables like in café. Made coffee, tee, put on each table a plate with cookies, ..

Check in:
#15 participants joined my event, 4 tables has been used, on each table A1-size paper sheet , thick pins (2-3 colours) and the cookies plate.

Note: try to mix people to set beside people they do not know very well or they do not know. Every new relationship is opening new space people can share.
For big group (> 30) refer to the note bellow to find how event facilitator could separate attendee in mixed small groups.

The program:
Part 1: welcoming, methodology introduction, getting agreement about evening-program and length.

Part 2: About 20 min sprint presentation about the idea (beamer used)

Part 3: Session1, 10 min. Questions Harvesting, each table discuss, which are the key questions and write down each on pig post-it papers.

Part 4: Together with other participant, we collected the Questions and organize them into 4 domains (4 tables). Large groups will be organized differently.

Part 5: Session2, 15 min., each table had one bunch of questions to answer. I was walking between the tables and joined the work partly, gave instructions about how to draw mind-maps around each questions, ..

Part 6: Session3 = Repeat session2 after rotating guests between domains/tables so that after rotation every table has at least two or three different new members. The members did not left the table present the new group the questions and outcomes. Discussion continue, new thoughts will been integrated ~

(Usually other rotation would be perfect, but I abstained it in order not to make the new method uncomfortable)

Par 7: Groups presentation. Each group has presented it work, I have added my comments during to each. Presenter add notes to the initial summery.

Part 8: Documentation. From each table I asked one volunteer to type the data and send me in order to set-up a working-wiki and invite the group to take part.

Notes Big Group conversation:

I had the great chance to join the Open-Translation-Tools Conference in Amsterdam. Around 80 people joined the event from different parts of the world. Here I put some reflections on the event.

The leader/Facilitator of the conference did an indescribable great work in organizing the sessions and the whole group.

The organizing team built the environment of collaborative work even before coming to event by collecting ideas and sharing agenda points in advance.

We started with 80 people one big circle! Gunner, in the middle, did a great work as group facilitator. He spoke loud, slow and clear. He paid our attention to all important edges and hints.
He was sharp and gentle, sour and sweet, pushy and comfortable. He covered all situation with the proper shape.

Here you find the schedule of the event:
http://ott09.aspirationtech.org/index.php/OTT09_Schedule

The first session we started was about spectrogram. It is about spreading people in the room according the agreement or disagreement to the massage announced. Here we exercised “dynamic twinkling” to express how much one agrees with the speaker. To twinkle with one or tow hands, rasing hands high in the air or keep them in the middle are signs without speak to interact with what the speaker is presenting. Twinkling should replace speaking through or interrupting, which can not be done when 80 people setting together, rather in small group.

For now I want to explain how to mix the people into divers groups. Gunner used following method which firstly has been used Agenda Design Break-Out Sessions

We were 80 and he wanted to have 10 groups. He counts 1 to 10 several times in the big circle, pointing on each one while counting till all has been covered. At the end every one of us has his own number. Those took the number 1, came together, 2 same wise and so on. This way had at theend 10 group with 8 members each.

In this session we wrote the topics we would like to see it covered during the three days. After posting them on the board they has been rearranged and quality approved (Part3 and 4 in my event above). The result : All the sticky notes

If there is any thing unclear please let me know.

Thanks!
Wael Al Saad