Reflections from attending an unconference
Last weekend, I had the honour to spend a weekend with about 120 amazing women, at the inaugural WWGSD unconference. After about 48 hours of enlightening conversations and expanding my mind, I had a bit of time to reflect on what I have taken away from the weekend.
Because of the Chatham House Rule, I will not be talking about any of the specifics that were discussed during the weekend, but rather will be focusing on my personal observations.
Unconf-what?
An unconference is a participant-driven event, where instead of an agenda provided by the organisers, the sessions are proposed by the participants.
It is essentially a self-organised event, bringing a group of people together to share ideas, knowledge, make connections, and collaborate. The idea is that the participants’ collective experiences and contributions provide a better range of topics, and encourage participants to share any topics that interest them.
WWGSD
WWGSD (Women Who Get Sh!t Done) started when the fabulous Anna Guenther sent out a tweet back in March, asking whether people would be interested in a women focused unconference. With an overwhelmingly positive response, the first WWGSD unconference was held over the weekend of 22–24 June in Levin, New Zealand.
Why Diversity Matters
Around 120 women from all walks of life participated over the weekend. The organisers also took great effort to ensure a diverse group of women, in terms of ethnic background and age. It is certainly the first event I’ve attended that could provide data on ethnic background distribution and comparisons to the general NZ population.
It may seem a bit ironic that we are talking about diversity, when the event is a specifically women only event. But ensuring diversity within the attendees makes an event inclusive, and encourages participants to interact with others whom they may never otherwise cross paths with.
Having a diverse group means that no matter which minority group you identify with, you are not the only one who is different. This forces us to reassess our assumptions, and keeps our unconscious biases in check.
Encourage Experimentation, and Celebrate Failure
One aspect of WWGSD that I love is the recurring theme of experimentation and celebrating failure. While “Celebrating Failure” has long been a mantra for start-ups and Agile evangelists, it is rare to see it being embraced as completely as it was at this event. We are too often eager to point out people’s errors and correct other’s mistakes, when sometimes we really should let it go, and let the person experiment and learn. Not only is this important to allow for experimentation, deferring judgement is also important. Instead of accepting the status quo and believing that any other way is a mistake, it is worthwhile to see what happens first before declaring something incorrect.
When you foster a culture where people are not afraid to try new things, and not stopped from trying new things, an extraordinary thing happens. People voice thoughts that they would otherwise deem “silly”, share half-formed ideas, ask the “stupid” questions that nag in their head, and others join in. Suddenly, ideas are gaining support and validation, while those same questions raise insightful discussion and reveal the complexity that lies within.
Without the celebration of failure, making it safe to experiment without the fear of being ridiculed, we remain prisoners of our own insecurities and thoughts, and never discover if our “silly” idea is the next big thing.
Turning Ideas into Actions
A common pitfall when we talk about ideas is that it is very easy to stay in the hypothetical, and we paralyse ourselves from moving to action. One of the sessions in particular combatted this inertia by breaking into two separate sessions. The first session at the start of the weekend had an open format for general discussion, and was used to collectively define a problem. The follow-up session was held towards the end of the weekend, and focused on tactical and strategic requirements to overcome the problem. The result of this approach is the first draft of a battle plan to address the issues raised, and a group of passionate individuals willing to continue to contribute and refine the plan until it becomes actionable.
Being part of that and seeing it happen in real time makes me reassess just how difficult it is to deal with “hard” problems, where on our own we feel powerless and uncertain of where to go. It demonstrates the power of leadership, as well as having a focus. Particularly when it comes problems that are ill-defined, and seem insurmountable at first glance. Having a diverse think tank to break down and analyse the problem, as well as to offer potential solutions, also means we are attacking the issue from multiple angles, and we compensate for each other’s blind spots. I am genuinely inspired and excited by the whole experience, and will continue to be involved with the group to help bring our vision into reality.
Final Thoughts
Every unconference is different, and having attended several conferences and unconferences certainly provides some reference points to compare my experience last weekend with. I feel incredibly lucky and honoured to have had the chance to participate in the first WWGSD, and to meet many wonderful and inspiring ladies throughout the weekend. I am in awe at how well organised the event was, and how they succeeded in providing an environment to encourage collaboration and experimentation. I have certainly learnt a lot over the weekend, and made a lot of new friends.
Unconferences may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but in the spirit of experimentation and embracing the unknown, I would encourage anyone who has a chance to attend to give it a go. Go with an open mind. Go knowing that you are not there to prove anything. Go to share yourself fearlessly. Go without expectation, but without cynicism either. Do not judge before you see it through. What’s the worst that could happen?
