Toronto Organization Development Network
unConference

Join us for the first TODN Unconference – it’s unconventional, uncompromising, self-organizing peer to peer learning fun!

Participate, or Convene a Session, or both!

• Participate: Show up on February 22, join a conversation that is meaningful to you – join two or three if you wish.
• Convene a Session: Teach or share an OD topic or tool you are experienced in, or a question you would like to explore, or a topic you would like to chat about – bring it on February 22.
• Both: Convene a short session, and then participate in another; both are possible on February 22.

And, at the end of the morning we’ll spend time reflecting on our experience participating in an unConference and sharing the learning we are taking away. You will walk away with an understanding of how and when you may choose to use unConferences in your own work with clients. 

It’s an Open Space for minds to meld and ideas to blossom!
We look forward to seeing you on February 22.

Details about unConference

Convening a session…
You do not need to do preparation in order to convene a session. If you get an idea the day of the event, call a session.

There is no ‘right way’ to lead a session. However there is a bias towards interaction and discussion.

Choose a format for your session will help you achieve your vision, keeping in mind that low-tech is required (powerpoint or computer-related presentations cannot be accommodated).

Types of sessions…

 The longer formal presentation
This is tricky, because it’s difficult to make a formal presentation interactive. But if you have a big, well-developed idea that is low-tech you can pull it off.

 A short presentation to get things started
5-15 minutes of prepared material/comments by the session leader followed by an interactive discussion

 Group discussion
Someone identifies a topic they are interested in, others come to join the conversation and an interesting discussion happens

 My Big (or Little) Question
You have a question you want to know the answer to, and you think others in the group could help you answer it. This format could also just be the seed of a conversation.

 Share
You have a cool project, a demo, or just something to show and let people play with that is the springboard for all the conversation in the session. Alternatively, you can invite others to bring their own items to share (perhaps with a theme), and everyone takes a turn sharing.

 Learn how to do X
If you’re inclined to teach, this can be simple and effective. Bring the equipment that you need, and have a plan that will let you teach five, ten, or 15 people how to do something all at the same time. 

Tips on leading a session…

 If you convene a session, it is your responsibility to “hold the space” for your session. You hold the space by leading a discussion, by posting a “first question,” or by sharing information about your program. Be the shepherd – stay visible, be as involved as necessary, be a beacon of sanity that guides the group.

 Ask for help holding the space if you need it. You might, for example, put a session on the board and know that you are so passionate about the topic that it would be better if someone else, someone more objective, facilitates the discussion. Choose someone from your team, or another participant who is interested in the topic.

 Don’t assume people in the room know more, or less, than you do. You never know who is going to be interested in your session. You might want to start by asking people to hold up their hands if they’ve been involved with the topic for more than five years, for one to five years, or for one year or less.

 Don’t be upset if only two people show up to your session. Those two people are the ones who share your interest.

 Don’t feel that you have to “fill” up an hour of time. If what you have to say only takes 15 min and the group has finished interacting–then the session can end. At the start of the conference, we will discuss guidelines for how this can happen.

 Don’t feel pressure to have everything take “only” an hour. If you start with a short presentation, and then a group conversation gets going, and your discussion needs to continue past an hour – find a way to make this happen. At the start of the conference, we will discuss guidelines for how this can happen.

 Be Brave! Others are interested in making your session work!

 Do think about the ideas that you want to cover in your session, and how you want to cover them. But don’t feel as though you need to prepare a great deal. (If you’re over-prepared, your session might lose energy.)

 Experiment with the kind of sessions you lead. There is no such thing as “failure” an an unconference.

Tips for everyone at unconference…

 Go with the flow – This event is intended to help you and all the other grantees find the time and space to talk with and learn from each other.

 Follow your passion – Go to the sessions that interest you.

 Take responsibility for your own learning – If there are topics you are really interested in that don’t appear on the agenda at first, you need to put them on there.

Principles of Open Space

Whoever comes are the right people.
Whatever happens is the only thing that could have.
Whenever it starts is the right time.
Whenever it is over it is over.

The Law of Two Feet

If you are neither learning or contributing it is your responsibility to respectfully use your own 2 feet to find some place you are learning or contributing.