This document provides an introduction to the concept of working out loud. It defines working out loud as making your work visible and narrating your work to help others. The five elements of working out loud are: making your work visible, leading with generosity, building a social network, making it all purposeful, and using various productivity tools to share your work. Working out loud can benefit organizations by increasing participation, agility, product quality, momentum for change, and emerging new leadership while making work less obscure. Learning circles are recommended to help people form new habits for working out loud through guided practice and a supportive group environment. Next steps proposed are to join a learning circle, start the journey of working out loud within a few weeks,

1. An Introduction
to Working Out Loud
Kevin Gamble, Ph.D.
eXtension Management Consultant

2. Where We’re Headed Today
• What is working out loud?
• Why - the benefits
• How - the five elements
• The tools - making it real
• Next steps

3. Definitions
Working Out Loud = Observable
Work + Narrating Your Work
- Bryce Williams

4. Definitions
“Working Out Loud starts with
making your work visible in such a
way that it might help others. When
you do that – when you work in a
more open, connected way – you
can build a purposeful network that
makes you more effective and
provides access to more
opportunities.”
- John Stepper

5. The Five Elements
Making your work visible

6. The Five Elements
Leading with generosity

7. The Five Elements
Building a social network

8. The Five Elements
Making it all purposeful

9. The Tools
• Almost every personal productivity tool
works - sharing is baked in
• My tools:
• Google Drive
• Evernote/Keep
• Slack
• Email
• Basecamp - project management
• Social networks - Twitter, Facebook, G+

10. Organizational Benefits
• Greater participation - breaks down silos
• More agile - faster iterations/cycles
• Better products - social learning
• Momentum - pushing the rolling boulder
• Flatter - new leadership emerges
• Less obscure

11. Learning Circles
The excuses:
1. I don’t have time.
2. I don’t know how to start.
3. I don’t know which people to
connect with.
4. I don’t know how to connect with
people.
5. I don’t have a system for connecting
or contributing.

12. Learning Circles
• WOL sounds easy - it’s not
• Guided practice - forming new habits
• Think more deeply about relationships
• Safe environment to practice
• Supportive group
• Personal goals - a reason

13. Next Steps
• Today - join a learning circle
• Next week - find a time to meet
• Week of November 30 - start our
journey ( 12 weeks)
• Next year - volunteer to lead
• Going forward - celebrate and rejoice
in a more effective, open, connected,
sustainable, and humane way of
working.