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Yesterday I attended an Unconference in Brisbane and had my first experience of an open spaces format. This approach could best be described as the anti-model of traditional conferences. In open spaces, the participants work out what they want to talk about, when they want to talk about it and then move to where they want to be. If they find the conversation not for them (translate that to being boring) they are encouraged to wander off and find another conversation.  As a facilitator, conference leader and control freak from way back, I can tell you that the approach would be enough to have given me a lot of very grey hairs if I was running it.

The people who attended were successful business leaders and were given the very strong boundaries of  “sell through not to” – meant the pressure came off in terms of people trying to flog their wares.  This was not the place for elevator speeches – but for building a community of peers. Any direct marketing was frowned upon.

So what happened? Well for starters a lot of brilliant topics hit the agenda – Getting stuff done, How much free info is too much?, Building a community around your business, how to engage your employees, effective networking, using social media effectively, charging what you are worth, what is a Thought Leader as well as a whole pile of useful discussions on best Apps/books/videos for business.

People were encouraged to be “self-full” – to actively get their needs met through the discussions and not wait and hope that someone would cover their issues for them. And as result, people wandered in and out of the conversations, adding their insights as well as getting ideas and strategies to apply in their business.  In terms of participation, some people participated boots and all. Others sat back and watched. Still others dipped their toes into the odd conversation and then shrunk back.

This to me was a metaphor for how people approach business and life. Some leap in and take action (even if they make mistakes), others watch and wait for the perfect moment and others flip between action and inaction. I am not sure there is a “right” answer – just it pays to know your natural tendency, and at times challenge your approach to see if it is helping you or hindering you.

So where would you place yourself – a watcher in life or an active participator? An observer or a leader?

Me, well I had a ball. I enjoyed the intelligent conversations with great people and have a few insights to work with over the coming weeks.

Ingrid Cliff

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Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter