Re: Getting attendees to contribute

On Sep 18, 2008, at 6:54 AM, James Ellis wrote:
> Another item we struggle on is getting meeting attendees to  
> contribute, Q&A
> style, at the actual meetings. Is it something about highly  
> technical people
> in a small room ?  Any advice on these is welcome.

One of the tactics our original organizer adopted was a "Fight Club"  
mentality.  If you're new here and employed in the field, it is  
expected that you will eventually present, even if it just  
participating in the open mic meetings ("What are you working on?").   
Hobbyists get less pressure.  It works very well, and most people  
respond pretty well to being immediately treated as a professional  
instead of as a stranger.

Our meetings are meant to be discussions - sometimes there aren't  
even slides.  We hold brief introductions every month, and as members  
give their name and history (as a hobbyist, freelance or  
professionally), we ask them immediately if they'd be willing to talk  
about anything they mentioned which sounds like it could lead to a  
good discussion - ESPECIALLY if they've never been to a meeting  
before.  If they balk, we try to pair them up with an experienced  
presenter ( covering a compatible topic ) so that they won't be  
responsible for the full two hour meeting.  People worry about being  
asked questions they can't answer correctly, so pairing them up with  
other developers takes the responsibility of being "The Authority"  
off their shoulders. So far, we've only had one guy flake and  
disappear after agreeing to present.

We also try very hard to engage the audience in discussion, all the  
time - even if it derails the slideshow.  If somebody throws out a  
question or example, we try to draw the discussion out.  People are  
far less intimidated by conversation than they are by presenting, so  
making every presentation a conversation leaves them less inhibited  
about participating, even from the front of the room.

( Another thing that helps the terminally shy: when possible, we  
present from the back of the room instead of projecting the slides  
next to the presenter.  It makes many feel like the slides are the  
focus, not the presenter. )

Tim Stiles,
Co-Organizer, DallasPHP
WatchMaker, Icomex.com