"Unconferencing" - Group event
Abstract
New or controversial opinions matter! With a conference as diverse as this, it is inevitable that differences of opinion will arise, best practices will be acknowledged, and experiences shared. This session creates an opportunity to accelerate delegates’ participation in the exchange of ideas and deepen knowledge about CI theory and new approaches to CI practice. The art of conversation, essential in promoting knowledge transfer and learning, is a key expectation of this session.
This session is adapted from a traditional ‘unconference’ in which delegates set the agenda. You will be invited to nominate one of 6 topics for debate in an informal meeting. The format will be familiar to anyone who has ever visited Speakers’ Corner in London, famous for enabling passionate protest speech or promotion of contrarian views. This session invites you to share your experiences, challenge conventional wisdom, or simply listen to new perspectives on CI. Topics raised may beg a question, and you may want to propose a solution or agree among your group to make action notes for follow-up.
Invitations to initiate a debate will be made at the Pre-Conference Reception on March 24th. There will also be an opportunity to continue conversations – or join a conversation you may have missed – at a ‘birds of a feather’ event during lunch on March 26th.
Law of Two Feet
In this informal session you are encouraged to optimize your learning and knowledge sharing as well as time. If at any time during a meeting you feel that you are bored, or not able to contribute anything, you are expected to get up and move to some other place. This may be to one of the other informal meetings, or indeed to form an ad hoc huddle and a new conversation. Observing this law ensures that delegates who attend a meeting are only those who really want to be there, and more ideas, opinions and knowledge are shared.
Step 1
Suggest a topic for the discussion. Simply submit a few lines describing your discussion proposal on the LinkedIn Unconferencing subgroup.
Step 2
Vote for your favourite topic(s) by clicking on the appropriate ‘Like’ button(s) in LinkedIn.
Step 3
Attend any of the discussions at the Unconferencing event.
Method
March 24th
Invitation
- The Unconference session is introduced to all delegates attending the Pre-Conference Reception.
- Delegates are invited to share their experiences or discuss a controversial or interesting topic relevant to CI initiating one of a series of parallel 1-hour Unconference sessions on the following day.
Bulletin Board
- Delegates who want to initiate a meeting ‘sell’ their proposal on a display board at the Pre-Conference Reception.
- Other delegates review the proposals and decide whether any of the proposed meeting topics are interesting. Marker pens and Post-it notes enable any delegate to annotate the meeting proposals with comments.
- We are limited to 6 topics (meetings) in total.
March 25th
Marketplace
- Delegates attend any one of the 6 pre-announced meetings.
- They are encouraged to move between meetings as they wish (see Law of Two Feet).
- Meeting initiators may use any style to spark a conversation, but formal presentations are not permitted.
- Meetings may be active or passive – as speakers and audience informally decide.
- The Law of Two feet ensures that whoever attends a meeting is the right person to be there – to share ideas and opinions, and to learn.
March 26th
Knowledge Action
- At lunch on Day 2 of the Conference 6 tables are reserved for any delegate who wishes to continue (or join) one of the conversations.
Facilitator profile
Jonathan Gordon-Till is Principal at Oxford Business Intelligence, specializing in knowledge management strategy, particularly with reference to knowledge retention & transfer during corporate change. He has worked for over 25 years at the intersection between knowledge & information management, competitive intelligence and library science. He is active in the global knowledge & information professions and has served on a number of professional bodies including the SCIP Ethics Committee. He is also widely acknowledged as an information ethicist and provides training and consultancy services through InfoEthics UK. He has contributed widely to the professional literature and was for many years a columnist in Information World Review.
Jonathan started his career in knowledge & information management in global financial services consulting. In addition to KM consultancy, he currently leads the global Knowledge Management Centre of Expertise for the R&D function of a major food manufacturer.