Sue’s Letter from Camp – Part Two
The format for Agile Coach Camp Canada 2012 was Open Space. I’d never been exposed to this type of event before and, when I looked up how it works, I was doubtful. Self-organizing. Are you kidding me? I wasn’t sure I could handle an event with no agenda. I need structure, certainty, order. Or so I thought.
As it turns out, Open Space is amazing. What needs to be discussed gets discussed by people who need to discuss it.
Here’s how it worked. We had:
- a good space – a hotel ballroom
- a theme – introducing agile work practices
- 80 or so people ready to learn, share, or both (Open Space can work with groups as small as five or as large as 200.)
- a facilitator to help get things organized (Ellen Grove did a super job.)
- empty walls, flip charts, tape, stickies, etc.
Unlike a conference where participants fit themselves into sessions and topics determined by conference organizers, participants create sessions on topics they want to learn about.
We gathered Friday evening to get to know each other and to set up discussion topics for the following days. We sat in a circle. Anyone wanting to host a conversation/session about something could offer the idea to the group. This could be a topic they wanted to present, an idea to test, or something they wanted to learn about. Topics ranged from “Test driven development” to “What is coaching?” and “Types of change.” Each presenter made a 30-second “pitch” for his or her topic then placed the topic on the schedule. With five simultaneous sessions and two days to work with, there was space for every topic presented. It just happened that way.
The next morning, we gathered to join the conversations that interested us. Audience size varied with interest in the topic. And people could come and go, using the “Rule of Two Feet.” One session I chose began with four but grew significantly, once people saw where the conversation was heading.
The sessions were structured conversations, rather than traditional presentations. There wasn’t a slide in sight. Here was a room full of tech people, with all the mobile toys and tools, writing on flip charts and stickies. We were eyeball to eyeball, making connections between ideas and between people. I found this far more engaging than conference presentations where we sit and absorb the wisdom from the “sage on the stage.”
Like many of the participants, although I had come to learn, I was happy to be invited to contribute and to realize that I had experience worth sharing. Everyone has a voice at these events. It is, truly, a conversation.
As a professional communicator and coach with a focus on conversation, this experience has turned my world upside down. Now, I’m looking for ways to introduce Open Space concepts into meetings, conferences, and training events I’m involved in.
If this concept sounds interesting to you, too, there’s useful information at Open Space World.
More Agile Coach Camp Learning still to come . . .
- Letter from Camp
- Lean Coffee
- Lightning Talks
- Coaching is even more valuable than I thought