Overview: Fostering Opportunities for Conversations

Deborah Keller invited Marie Kaddell and Karen Huffman to lead a two-hour unconference session during the 2010 Military Library Workshop (MLW) in Destin, Florida (URL: http://slamilitarylibraries.org/wpcms/). There were many ideas brewing from topics discussed by guest speakers. During the conference, some of the attendees were Tweeting about the sessions. One of my favorite #MLW2010 Tweet was the following: "Change is inevitable (except in a vending machine). ~Robert Gallegher" Since unconferences typically should be an all-day event, below is the strategy we used for accomplishing an unconference in just two hours.

Unconference Topic: Creating Our Strategies for Communication

We focused our unconference around the Communication theme of the 2010 MLW conference and used a combination of facilitation techniques pulled from KM-style unconference and open space technology (OST) models. Unconference and OST are primarily participant driven sessions that encourage discussion around a theme or purpose determined primarily by those who attend. The models are used to foster communication and engagement.

Survey to Gather Ideas Prior to the Session

Since we only had two hours, we sent out a survey to gather ideas to foster the unconference discussion. We suggested some possible topics (#1-#4) and gave attendees an opportunity to make additional suggestions (#5):

1. Our up-road challenge (but not our defeat!): Communicating and connecting with audiences over distance and time. Potential pitfalls and/or resistance in information delivery methods used to communicate ideas and concepts. How can KM work in an environment with multiple languages, professional jargon from multiple disciplines, competing organizational cultures? What makes it work?
2. Success stories: Increased effectiveness in solutions due to greater participation and/or a wider diversity of opinions. How are you driving engagement, success and value within your organizing to improve outcomes.
3. User adoption strategies: Adaptive improvements in your communication and collaboration models as a result of tools and/or applications employed within your organization. Do you see yourself as part of the solution? How do you show support by assisting users in developing proactive solutions?
4. Value of KM: Articulating and demonstrating the value of KM in the short-term when long-term funding and efforts are required for the "real" payoff. What is the "real cost" to an organization - tools and technology, people, or risks in the "what if's"?
5. Additional suggestions were welcomed in the survey.

Summarized Focus and Ideas Shared

The photo gallery below summarizes the way Marie and Karen facilitated the unconference and recorded the ideas shared.

2010 MLW Unconference Session (view as slideshow)
	Marie and Karen tweaked the guidelines based on our experience with unconferences.		Participant-driven ideas as a result of the survey.		Unconference in full swing.
	Mindmap from the unconference session.		Marie (left) and Karen (right).		Tweets #mlw2010 from unconference and a handful of other sessions.

Why an Unconference?

I think what I liked best about the 2010 unconference sessions is that there is no right answer! The people that come are the right people, the topics discussed are the right topics. It's a WIN-WIN situation and all have an opportunity to share their ideas. The selected pictures and resources below were shared during the three unconferences I co-facilitated with Dianna Wiggins on the Culture of Social Media, Mary Talley on Embedded Librarianship, and Marie Kaddell on Value 2.0+. Many of the ideas and resources shared and mind maps created are a starting point to help you delve deeper into the areas that interest you most. Please take a few moments to share your ideas and takeaways from the sessions you attended, so we know how best to modify the content and/or format for future unconference sessions.

Resources & Links

Culture of Social Media

• Engage by Brian Solis URL: http://www.briansolis.com/2010/01/engage/.

Embedded Librarianship

• 2010 June Resources for Embedded Librarianship by Mary Talley. URL:http://wiki.sla.org/download/attachments/60817513/2010 06 Embedded Librarianship Resources.pdf.

Value 2.0+

• The New Face of Value: 2010 Best Practices for Government Libraries, edited by Marie Kaddell. URL: http://www.lexisnexis.com/tsg/gov/Best_Practices_2010.pdf.
• Marie Kaddell's Government Info Pro blog. URL: http://www.governmentinfopro.com/.

Other

• SLA Twitter Directory (must be signed into SLA's wiki to view): http://wiki.sla.org/display/SLAINNO/Twitter+Directory.
  

  2010 Unconference Sessions (view as slideshow)
  	Culture of Social Media facilitated by Dianna Wiggins & Karen Huffman		Culture of Social Media: Dianna Wiggins (center) with Illinois Chapter Members		Embedded Librarianship facilitated by Mary Talley & Karen Huffman
  	Value 2.0+ facilitated by Marie Kaddell & Karen Huffman		Value 2.0+: Marie Kaddell (left) and Karen Huffman (right)		Post Unconference Sessions (left to right): Mary Talley, Sam Kaddell, Karen Huffman, and Marie Kaddell

Did You Attend?

If you attended any of the conference sessions, please share your learnings from your time with fellow colleagues. 

Doesn't the term "unconference" during the 2010 SLA annual conference strike you as a contradiction of ideas? It's like when people ask me why do I sail during thunder and lightening storms? I sail because I've made a commitment to crew (and hopefully win!) for my friend every Wednesday night (unless, of course, I'm attending SLA's annual conference).

Like my commitment to sailing, SLA and its members are committed to us through all the ups and downs in our profession. SLA and its member-led leadership are constantly looking for new ways to grow each others competencies, creatively motivate us within our profession, and engage each other in conversations. During this year's conference in New Orleans, we have an exciting line-up of facilitators and some great ideas brewing for our unconference sessions. The format lends itself well to sharing ideas that may be peculating from some of the sessions you've attended.

Mark your SLA planner to attend one or more of the Unconference sessions during the 2010 SLA Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA. Below is a quick list of dates and times. Facilitators will help lead/guide topic discussions and capture your ideas and/or a gallery of images for each session within our placeholder pages set up below. Not sure what an Unconference is, see our glossary: Unconference, BarCamp.