Date post: | 18-Sep-2014 |
Category: |
Documents |
View: | 992 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Knowledge Bite: online conferences
Planning, running and capturing the benefits of online conferencesStrategy and Development Unit,
IDeA
Who are we? What’s our story?
• Strategy and Development Unit - turning Policy into Practice
• Facilitate largest community of practice Policy and Performance, over 1600 members
Who are we? What’s our story?
• Have organised five online conferences using simple, free, available tools
• Have advised on others, completed and planned
Advantages of online conferences• “Cheap to run” • Can be organised and launched quickly• People can dip in and out• Conversations “pre-captured”• Easy to disseminate proceedings and
distil knowledge for other products• Green• No curly sandwiches!
Disadvantages• It’s a lot more work
than you think• Not everyone gets it• People don’t make
time for online the same way as face-to-face (for now)
• Don’t be tempted to use it to replace an under-subscribed face-to-face event
Flex* by teepole on Flickr
Planning an online conference
Getting started
• Scoping your event•subject•audience•demand•purpose
We demand donutz by cobalt 123 on Flickr
Team building
• Identify roles•organisers•facilitators•experts•champions•support
red team by atomic shed on Flickr
Almost the same as a face-to-face• Venue• Speakers• Agenda
programme• Promotion• Registration
The Venue, After by Stewart on Flickr
Where it differs• “Speakers” are
actually writers, it’s a different skill
• May have to explain “speaker” and other roles
• Currently, need to do a lot more explaining about what it is and how it will work
Helping Hands by darkmatter on Flickr
A continuous workstream• Promote via IDeA
Knowledge, other Communities of Practice and existing networks
• Tie in to other face-to-face events, newly published guidance, etc.
• Plan ahead about using proceedings
Colourful Ribbons, by PieterMusterd on Flickr
More than just text?• Video• Audio• Photos• Slideshare
More than just presentations• “Hot seat”
approach, present and come back for questions?
• Expert panels• Encourage new
topics from participants
Expert spotting by pbo31on Flickr
Facilitating an online conference
Aims of facilitation• Bring in lots of
different views• Promote a lively
conversation• Buzz - Make it feel
spontaneous and fresh• Share knowledge
about real practice among practitioners.
• Keep the “graft” backstage
In the hive, 1 by Max xx on Flickr
An example
The ideal facilitator• Good writer• Just enough to tech
savvy to work the CoP
• Flexible• Some knowledge of
the topic
Flexible by Lhoretse on Flickr
The role• Keep an eye on
proceedings• Be prepared to
step back• Be ready to step in
The role• Prompt for more
detail• You have an
opinion, too!• Hand holding
If you build it, they will come• Right topic, right time,
decent promotion - they will come, but maybe not til late
• Switch on those alerts!
• Drive traffic with email updates
• Back channel• Not too proud to beg
Venice channel by Ipiepiora on Flickr
Using all the features of the CoP• Forums
• main activity• Events
• flag the programme ahead
• Members• drive that traffic
through daily email updates
Using all the features of the CoP• Wiki
•use to build navigation, store updates
• Blog•why stop promoting? News and
views.• Document library?
•Store supplementary information
Ups and downs• What’s great
• Flexible, fun approach
• You can do it in your jim-jams
• What’s not so great• “On” for the period
of the conference• Colleagues may not
respect that you’re facilitating an event
Simplicity pjs 2019, by carbonated on Flickr
Capturing the benefits
Key benefits• Written outcomes
• plan ahead to capture proceedings
• disseminate through CoPs
• get more emerging practice and “hard lessons”
Wishes away by davebluedevil on Flickr
Case study: customer insightFace-to-face
eventMarch
Online conference
June
Long standingIDeA/LGA role
Place Survey&
CAA
Further CI guidancecommissioned
Online consultation
Conferencereport
published to Knowledge
Guidance promoted
A real CoP!LGCIF
Case study: Performance Management• PMMI project - Audit Commission & IDeA• Three online conferences, took place in
closed discussion forum• Engaged real Members online! - through
CfPS - open discussion forum• Lead to conference reports, material for
guidance, tools and presentations• Integrated with action research
Benefits of the conference itself
• New members to your main conference platform and old members energised.
• For CI conference • 80% satisfied • 100% would
recommend another conference
• 90% liked the email updates
Adrian with sparklers by Craig Anderson on Flickr
Additional materials to share
• FAQ• Project plan• Feedback survey• Evaluation reports• All to be found in the CoP Facilitators
CoP