Social Network for RSA Fellows
Listening to Fellows!
I was reminded by the Interesting09 conference, which took place yesterday, of all the discussions and thoughts I have had over the last 2 years about finding a way of listening to more RSA Fellows. I attended Interest08 last year (obviously) and really enjoyed the speedy, energetic and diverse format.
My main thought with regard RSA is very simple: I would really love to hear Fellows talking about their work or interests.
I don’t think I am alone in this. We obviously have an amazing free lecture series, which include people who really are the ‘thought leaders’ they claim to be. We are also fortunate in now being able to watch these great lectures at our leisure at home.
There are however, hundreds (maybe even thousands) of Fellows, both in the UK and abroad who are being leaders, breaking new ground in their own environments and fields, earning valuable experiences and insights which may only being shared within their particular field, and not more widely.
Wouldn’t it be great if Fellows found a way of creating opportunities to release all that emergent knowledge and passion ... and have some fun in the process?
Here are some of the ideas that have come out though discussions about this.
Open Mic Evenings
This was suggested frequently about 14 months. We find a venue and invite Fellows (and others) to come and grab the mic and tell us about what they do. This idea is very informal and spontaneous.
TED Fringe (or possibly even TEDx)
I related to Matthew Taylor’s post on the TED conference in July in Oxford.
What Matthew seemed to mind most was the sense of elitism ‘TED delegates think of themselves as a hand-picked elite, and have paid about £3,000 for that status’. The point of course is that some of those same speakers will come to RSA to speak and those lectures will be free, demonstrating very firmly the idealistic philosophy of spreading ideas and thinking to everyone.
Could the RSA and Fellows set up a TED ‘fringe’, a range of regional small Fellow-led conferences around TED or separate events such as the TEDxTuttle conference being run by Lloyd Davies this week?
Or even better perhaps, RSA could run these mini-conference themselves rather than around TED?
Pecha Kucha Nights
I was talking about this to a local Fellow Johhny Grey, and he told me about Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation). Perhaps you have heard about this, but I hadn’t at the time.
“Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dythamwas conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.
But as we all know, give a mike to a designer (especially an architect) and you’ll be trapped for hours. The key to Pecha Kucha Night is its patented system for avoiding this fate. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show”
6 minutes and 40 seconds! That’s how long it takes to warm up a crowd with silly jokes, surely? Or to stop feeling faint?
I like the idea of this format for three reasons:
- If you turned up for an event like this someone would be bound to interest you (rather than single speaker events)
- The brevity would ensure that it kept lively (rather than the *potential* for boring long lectures).
- People would have to take time and trouble preparing a very good presentation and this would probably increase the quality.
Taking it ‘open and local’
Rather than looking at it just as Fellows speaking at these types of events, at regional and local level it could be really helpful and fun to arrange events like this that invited a local community to both speak and to attend.
What do you think?
Would you like to hear other Fellows speaking?
Would you attend any events like this?
Would you like to speak at an event like this?
Would you help arrange an event like this?
Do you have a venue that could be used, or know someone with a venue that could be used e.g. a school, village hall, conference space or warehouse?
What would be needed to start an experiment? How could the RSA and Fellows work together to arrange something? Could the new Fellowship Council help facilitate these sorts of conversations?
Would these formats work for Fellows in other places around the world?
Are there other types of formats you have found to work really well?
Are there other ways we could share Fellow knowledge informally other than a face-to-face format? Perhaps through live online conference facilities or using other social media tools?
My main thought with regard RSA is very simple: I would really love to hear Fellows talking about their work or interests.
I don’t think I am alone in this. We obviously have an amazing free lecture series, which include people who really are the ‘thought leaders’ they claim to be. We are also fortunate in now being able to watch these great lectures at our leisure at home.
There are however, hundreds (maybe even thousands) of Fellows, both in the UK and abroad who are being leaders, breaking new ground in their own environments and fields, earning valuable experiences and insights which may only being shared within their particular field, and not more widely.
Wouldn’t it be great if Fellows found a way of creating opportunities to release all that emergent knowledge and passion ... and have some fun in the process?
Here are some of the ideas that have come out though discussions about this.
Open Mic Evenings
This was suggested frequently about 14 months. We find a venue and invite Fellows (and others) to come and grab the mic and tell us about what they do. This idea is very informal and spontaneous.
TED Fringe (or possibly even TEDx)
I related to Matthew Taylor’s post on the TED conference in July in Oxford.
What Matthew seemed to mind most was the sense of elitism ‘TED delegates think of themselves as a hand-picked elite, and have paid about £3,000 for that status’. The point of course is that some of those same speakers will come to RSA to speak and those lectures will be free, demonstrating very firmly the idealistic philosophy of spreading ideas and thinking to everyone.
Could the RSA and Fellows set up a TED ‘fringe’, a range of regional small Fellow-led conferences around TED or separate events such as the TEDxTuttle conference being run by Lloyd Davies this week?
Or even better perhaps, RSA could run these mini-conference themselves rather than around TED?
Pecha Kucha Nights
I was talking about this to a local Fellow Johhny Grey, and he told me about Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation). Perhaps you have heard about this, but I hadn’t at the time.
“Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dythamwas conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.
But as we all know, give a mike to a designer (especially an architect) and you’ll be trapped for hours. The key to Pecha Kucha Night is its patented system for avoiding this fate. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show”
6 minutes and 40 seconds! That’s how long it takes to warm up a crowd with silly jokes, surely? Or to stop feeling faint?
I like the idea of this format for three reasons:
- If you turned up for an event like this someone would be bound to interest you (rather than single speaker events)
- The brevity would ensure that it kept lively (rather than the *potential* for boring long lectures).
- People would have to take time and trouble preparing a very good presentation and this would probably increase the quality.
Taking it ‘open and local’
Rather than looking at it just as Fellows speaking at these types of events, at regional and local level it could be really helpful and fun to arrange events like this that invited a local community to both speak and to attend.
What do you think?
Would you like to hear other Fellows speaking?
Would you attend any events like this?
Would you like to speak at an event like this?
Would you help arrange an event like this?
Do you have a venue that could be used, or know someone with a venue that could be used e.g. a school, village hall, conference space or warehouse?
What would be needed to start an experiment? How could the RSA and Fellows work together to arrange something? Could the new Fellowship Council help facilitate these sorts of conversations?
Would these formats work for Fellows in other places around the world?
Are there other types of formats you have found to work really well?
Are there other ways we could share Fellow knowledge informally other than a face-to-face format? Perhaps through live online conference facilities or using other social media tools?
Views: 8
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Susan Jones on -
Glad you emailed me to point me to this post.
I'm definitely in favour of all these faster, more engaging approaches, some of which I have been involved in myself or come highly recommended by those who have tried them out.
I've also mentioned Unexpected media - an organisation whose work I rate - as a possible facilitator for events that are to do with innovative ideas development - so that conversations are going towards something.
I would be interested to have different opportunities to 'collect evidence' (for something that is outside my usual territory) - could be for a presentation but maybe better to be as preparation for listening intently.
Online discussions have the potential to engage but with the (many) forums I am now watching or active in, there is a hesitency in going too deep - you can only do that I guess when you have a feel of the participants, and the face-to-face - watching the body language - is an important part of judging that.
-
Permalink Reply by David Dickinson on -
Very interesting Tessy. I have been a Pecha Kucha presenter before and have often thought this would be a good medium for vision and voice conferencing - something like Webex for example. As it happens I am working on a project with Cisco Webex at the moment so should be able to set up a trial before we try anything too adventurous (it will handle thousands of concurrent users) As the technical requirement for speaking over Pecha Kucha slides is relatively trivial it might be worth experimenting with Skype and presentation software first.
The key part for me is the fact that conversations between each presentation are chaired/orchestrated, drawing the threads of the discussion topic together.
It would be a good way of sharing between networks, two or more sets of presenters speaking in front of their respective audiences shared with the other networks digitally - I know a few people in the Brussels group who would relish this and I am pretty sure Manchester would be up for it.
Incidentally, I agree with you about TED. I find it a great source of information and inspiration irrespective of the means by which it comes to our screens.
-
Permalink Reply by Tessy Britton on -
Thanks Susan for sharing your thoughts on this :)
I really liked your idea of collecting evidence that is outside your usual territory - especially good for the shorter format perhaps?
Ironically it sometimes feel more difficult to raise your hand online that face-to-face...
Susan Jones said:Glad you emailed me to point me to this post.
I'm definitely in favour of all these faster, more engaging approaches, some of which I have been involved in myself or come highly recommended by those who have tried them out.
I've also mentioned Unexpected media - an organisation whose work I rate - as a possible facilitator for events that are to do with innovative ideas development - so that conversations are going towards something.
I would be interested to have different opportunities to 'collect evidence' (for something that is outside my usual territory) - could be for a presentation but maybe better to be as preparation for listening intently.
Online discussions have the potential to engage but with the (many) forums I am now watching or active in, there is a hesitency in going too deep - you can only do that I guess when you have a feel of the participants, and the face-to-face - watching the body language - is an important part of judging that.
-
Permalink Reply by Tessy Britton on
-
Hi David
Your Cisco Webex experiment sounds very interesting. There were some Fellows who experimented with Illuminate - Peter Churchill and some others from the RSA Virtual Coffee House Team, plus David Wilcox and myself. It was quite some time ago, perhaps last year even, but I am not sure that it led very far because of the issue of costs etc.
I have seen that format being used very well by George Siemens who runs mass online courses - but it seems that you need a reasonably substantial number of people to get enough engagement and activity?
Would you be able to share your new experiences with us?
Interesting also about being a Pecha Kuch presenter! What did you find worked / what did you like about it? What sort of adaptions would you make if you were involved with an RSA Fellows experiment?
David Dickinson said:Very interesting Tessy. I have been a Pecha Kucha presenter before and have often thought this would be a good medium for vision and voice conferencing - something like Webex for example. As it happens I am working on a project with Cisco Webex at the moment so should be able to set up a trial before we try anything too adventurous (it will handle thousands of concurrent users) As the technical requirement for speaking over Pecha Kucha slides is relatively trivial it might be worth experimenting with Skype and presentation software first.
The key part for me is the fact that conversations between each presentation are chaired/orchestrated, drawing the threads of the discussion topic together.
It would be a good way of sharing between networks, two or more sets of presenters speaking in front of their respective audiences shared with the other networks digitally - I know a few people in the Brussels group who would relish this and I am pretty sure Manchester would be up for it.
Incidentally, I agree with you about TED. I find it a great source of information and inspiration irrespective of the means by which it comes to our screens.
-
Permalink Reply by Susan Jones on
-
with reference to "Ironically it sometimes feel more difficult to raise your hand online that face-to-face..."
One of the issues for 'location neutral' activity - and discussion - is the thing about 'incidental conversations/serendipity' that comes from being amongst people and good ideas. Creating the conditions for this to happen in the virtual world when you can't catch someone's eye is the challenge.
Here I am replying 'too fast' to a forum post whilst at my laptop thinking through something else - will I hone / edit it before I allow it out?.
-
Permalink Reply by Tessy Britton on
-
Thanks David for your enthusiastic response!
I agree completely about trying to find multiple routes into this idea of listening and sharing - for many the presenting format is far too intimidating and we need to ensure that we explore gentle and careful formats as well as fun and loud... As Sue mentioned above, some formats simply don't lend themselves to a deeper discussion.
It is always the mixing the online and the face-to-face which seems so challenging. I am coming round to the idea that ideas need to be the starting point (e.g. sharing knowledge) and making the formats the servants to the ideas. Does that makes sense?
David Wilcox said:Hi Tessy - what terrific ideas! On event format, I think it would be good to explore a number that might appeal to different people's preferences. Some are happy to dive in to a snappy presentation, others might be more comfortable with the quieter, conversational.
Either way, I think the key issue here is to offer a powerful incentive/benefit to the Fellowship mix ... being able to say something about yourself, your interests, what you are trying to achieve.
I would be particularly interested in heping with events that offered a mix of face to face and online, experimenting with different formats.
-
Permalink Reply by Jackie Elliman on -
I think this sounds great Tessy.
There have been discussions about how to galvanise the London City Networking events a bit and this format could be one way to do it. My feelings are that London networking events should
(a) be earlier in the week (Thursday always seems to be triple-booked somehow)
(b) relocate to the Gerard Bar until we outgrow it
and
(c) have a half-free form chat over a drink and half something-structured format. Pecha Kucha for the structure half sounds spot on.
If other Fellows agree and Clare Reilly gives her blessing I think we should go for this starting on, say the first Tuesday in October - 6th. If so I am happy to vaguely organise (there shouldn't be a lot to do tho I may need help from those with more techno-expertise to spread the word effectively throught these various websites).
Comments, please both on whether this is a way forward for London City Networking and also whether each session (monthly or six weekly I think) should have a specific topic or be completely open.
-
Permalink Reply by Jackie Elliman on
-
David
Further my thoughts in response to Tessy it would be great to mix online and face to face in some way, if we can get a live event going it would be great to have a (face to face!) chat about the various ways in which this could be done and your expertise would be invaluable!
Tessy Britton said:Thanks David for your enthusiastic response!
I agree completely about trying to find multiple routes into this idea of listening and sharing - for many the presenting format is far too intimidating and we need to ensure that we explore gentle and careful formats as well as fun and loud... As Sue mentioned above, some formats simply don't lend themselves to a deeper discussion.
It is always the mixing the online and the face-to-face which seems so challenging. I am coming round to the idea that ideas need to be the starting point (e.g. sharing knowledge) and making the formats the servants to the ideas. Does that makes sense?
David Wilcox said:Hi Tessy - what terrific ideas! On event format, I think it would be good to explore a number that might appeal to different people's preferences. Some are happy to dive in to a snappy presentation, others might be more comfortable with the quieter, conversational.
Either way, I think the key issue here is to offer a powerful incentive/benefit to the Fellowship mix ... being able to say something about yourself, your interests, what you are trying to achieve.
I would be particularly interested in heping with events that offered a mix of face to face and online, experimenting with different formats.
-
Permalink Reply by Euan Semple on -
I love the idea of more ideas and more stimulation in a shorter timeframe and agree with David that having something less structured and less pressured alongside this would be great
-
Permalink Reply by Tessy Britton on
-
Hi Jackie - that sounds really good!
I like points thoughts on 'half' - it is unlikely - yet again - that an off the shelf format is going to work perfectly.
Your suggestion to meet and discuss a format that would work for the people attending and how to blend the offline and face-to-face seems to be a *really* helpful way to start!
One point though - the date you suggest is the day before the AGM?
-
Permalink Reply by Stephen Coleman on -
I like these ideas and would be happy to be involved in developing them. But I have a thought to raise about sustainability. My sense is that people are attracted to knowledge networks when it is clear that they can act (usually quite quickly) on what they are learning. Built into these events should be clear opportunities for people to do something themselves - and report back on what they've done. I like to think of public talks as inherently unfinished performances that only really succeed if something happens after the speaker has spoken. Perhaps we should be giving thought to that part of the process as much as to appropriate technologies for disseminating initial insights.
-
Permalink Reply by Tessy Britton on
-
This is really interesting thinking Stephen. "Built into these events should be clear opportunities for people to do something themselves - and report back on what they've done. I like to think of public talks as inherently unfinished performances that only really succeed if something happens after the speaker has spoken."
Have you seen this done successfully elsewhere? Does it require a regular group to attend to help create this feedback loop on how knowledge has been applied in new settings perhaps?
Review of RSA Fellowship nings, social networks
Over the next few months the RSAde Group will be consolidating regional social networks and nings.
The aim will be to improve connectivity for Fellows, improve communication and reduce fragmentation.
If you would like further information on these changes please contact the RSAde team via the Digital Engagement group on this network.
RSA Vision
About the RSA
RSA Events
The Power of Vulnerability
Influential author and speaker Dr Brené Brown tackles the myth that vulnerability is a weakness. Instead, she argues, it is the clearest path to courage and meaningful connection, and has the power to transform the way we engage and educate.Leading Change
With many of us facing an ever greater pace of change in our personal and working lives, leadership adviser and educator Richard Gerver reveals how to adapt and thrive - not to fear change but to see it as an opportunity for creative reinventionFrom the digital divide to inclusive innovation: the case of digital money
To mark the launch of a new RSA pamphlet, we bring together an expert panel to discuss the growing use of digital money worldwide, highlight its potential and consider the issues that will facilitate or hamper its reach.Notes
Guide to RSA online communities
Created by Matthew Kálmán Mezey Dec 6, 2011 at 11:03am. Last updated by Matthew Kálmán Mezey Jun 22, 2012.
Apply for Fellowship today!
Created by Gurmeet Singh Feb 24, 2012 at 2:07pm. Last updated by Gurmeet Singh Feb 24, 2012.
Other social media guides
Created by Matthew Kálmán Mezey Nov 19, 2011 at 9:23pm. Last updated by Matthew Kálmán Mezey Dec 6, 2011.
© 2013 Created by RSA Networks.
