UnConference Explained
EEF organized UnConferences are community participation events. This is how they work.
Basics
At an UnConference, the topics are offered by attendees and are democratically selected. Our customized version is a little different in that before the day of the event, a form is offered to all attendees to describe the topic (or more than one) they might offer.
Topics have a format, which is one of:
- Teach
- Discuss
- Learn
- Debate
Most offers will be of the first two. Learn is quite valuable as it is a request by an attendee to learn about something. Publication of topics ahead of time gives others a chance to consider teaching.
Debate is a new format that takes a bit of courage, but it is a way we can understand a topic more deeply. Its value cannot be overstated because it underpins how we make choices as a community.
The Order
The shared spreadsheet will list all the topics submitted. From that, each submitter will have two minutes to explain the topic. The next step is a vote by show of hands for each topic. Each attendee can vote for many topics. After voting, the topic order will be decided based on the number of votes.
Each topic will get 15 minutes. Time extensions are possible by majority vote.
Lunch is typically, leave for 90 minutes to one or more local lunch options, then reconviene for the afternoon.
Other details
We use luma to organize the attendance at the EEF luma. The events will have chat enabled, which helps with communication before and during lunch. The luma app is recommended.