1. Leading a Great Saturday Session
Jesse Fallick Matthew Mahoney
Sessions Coordinator Outreach Coordinator

2. Agenda
‣ Context & goals: how LaidOffCamp works
‣ How sessions work
‣ Being a discussion leader

3. The main idea
the richest resource at the
conference is the group of
people attending.

4. LaidOffCamp is...
A free two-day event for people in a career
transition who are looking to gain perspective,
discover new passions, or reinvent their careers.
An “open-source” or “user-generated” conference.
Attendees are the organizers + discussion leaders.

5. The Rules of LaidOffCamp Adopted from Tantek Çelik's
The Rules of BarCamp
1st Rule: You do talk about LaidOffCamp.
•
2nd Rule: You do blog about LaidOffCamp.
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3rd Rule: Anyone with something to contribute or with the
•
desire to learn is welcome and invited to join.
4th Rule: No pre-scheduled presentations and no tourists -
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everyone participates!
5th Rule: If you want to present, you must write your topic
•
and name in a presentation slot.
• 6th Rule: As many presentations at a time as facilities allow
for.
7th Rule: All sponsors, no matter how large their
•
contribution is, shall be treated equally and afforded the
same quot;benefitsquot;
8th Rule: There will be no screening or vetting of presenters
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- anyone can speak!

6. How scheduling works - am
8:00-8:45
The session grid is booked first-come first-served
•
on-site. Registration opens at 8a.
If you proposed a topic on the wiki in advance,
•
then simply confirm you still want to lead that talk
After (1) conference registration, (2) check-in with the
•
Sessions Coordinator (Jesse) who will help with
space assignment, overlapping topics, and
consolidation where necessary
8:45-9:30
Sessions Coordinator distributes grid around site
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Morning Session Leaders give 20 second intro
•

7. How scheduling works - afternoon
8:00-12:30
If you arrive late, or decide in the morning that you’d
•
like to present, find the Sessions Coordinator (Jesse)
and sign up on the Grid if there’s still space available
12:30-1:00p
Sessions Coordinator distributes updated grid
•
around the site
Afternoon Session Leaders give 20 second intro
•

8. The main idea
the richest resource in the
room is the people
attending the discussion.

9. How sessions work
Timing
• Sessions are blocked for an hour
• Discussions can go on until the next session begins
• Many will break at 45 min, it’s up to you & the group
Golden Principles
(1) Lead a discussion
(2) No company pitches
(3) Rule of two feet

10. Tips: In Advance
If there is topic overlap, consider co-leading a
•
session with others
Distill: what’s the main idea that’s important for
•
people to take-away?
Develop 3-4 main questions that will provoke
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discussion
Develop short anecdotes to illustrate the main
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points; ideally, think about how to involve the group
Slides are ok, not required, but don’t use too many
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(projectors will be in every room; bring an adapter if you need it)
Bullet points are ok, images are better
•
Keep it simple.

11. Tips: During the Session
Lead a conversation. More guide than lecturer.
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Open the conversation: get people involved early, if
•
not right away (e.g. ask why they came)
Involve the group: consider where you can break into
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pairs or smaller groups, then report out as a big
group
Share: ask people taking notes to post or twitter
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them
It’s ok if people get up to leave
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Provide the framework, but let it happen

12. Next steps
Register, if you haven’t already:
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http://laidoffcampny.eventbrite.com/
Browse proposed topics, post yours:
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http://laidoffcamp.pbworks.com/
Pair up to co-lead where it makes sense
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Outline the main points, open questions and
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conversation starters. Define success.
Make a blog post about your presentation this week
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Invite 3 friends to come
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Have fun. You’re gonna do great.