Making an event participatory- Bristol WDM

Next time you organise a speaker event, instead of arranging the usual ‘rows of chairs to face a panel’ format, try putting the chairs into groups of small semi circles. Then instead of having a question and answer session at the end of the talk, ask each group to discuss the main points brought out by the speaker and arrive at one question/point to feedback.

This was the method used at a recent speaker event in Bristol. What was so effective was that it made the atmosphere far more informal than it might otherwise have been. Attendees that were unfamiliar with the group were allowed to freely participate with others and it was a great way of breaking the ice. The traditional format of a panel addressing an audience with time for fleeting questions at the end fails to engage the often highly experienced and enthusiastic audience that come to an event. This type of event format might not work for every speaker (the traditional questions and answer format might better suit more technical presentations), but it is highly recommended for experienced and campaign based speakers.