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For the last few years I have been running knowledge cafes and conferences that were inspired by my frustration with traditional conference and speaking formats. Too often traditional conferences are "chalk and talk" and "death by powerpoint" and I wanted to get away from this format and create meetings that were a lot more interactive, participative, and conversational - where the participants (note I have never called them delegates) got to engage with the subject matter.
At the same time it was good to notice that other people were adopting this format too and that many more conferences and seminars were becoming 'participative events'. Well once this new form of 'conference' is given a label then maybe its time has really come and so I was delighted to just read this posting of David Gammels on Unconferences.
This is how an "unconference" compares with a traditional "conference". I love it 
| Conference |
Unconference |
| Attendees |
Participants |
| Exhibitors |
Participants |
| Recruiting speakers |
Recruiting participants |
| Content planning |
Content facilitation |
| Direct marketing |
Word of mouth marketing |
| Handouts |
Wikis |
| 12 month planning cycle |
12 week planning cycle |
| Sponsorships |
Donations |
| Once a year |
As often as needed and desired |
| Large budgets |
Shoe-string budgets |
| Maximize value for organizers |
Maximize value for participants |
| Best practices |
Innovation |
| Top down |
Bottom up |
| Wisdom of experts |
Wisdom of crowds |
| Magazine coverage 2 months later |
Live blogging/podcasting |
| Slides |
Stories |
| Panels |
Conversations |
| Best practices |
Practicing |
| Hierarchy |
Networks |
| Directive methods |
participatory methods |
| Participants |
Contributors/creators |
| Speakers |
Conversation starters |
| Sharing information |
Learning collaboratively |
| Instruction |
Discovery |
| Best learning in the hallway |
It’s all hallway! |
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| David Gurteen |
David having a meal in the Old Singapore Market, October 2008
| | My Weblog |
| Gurteen Knowledge Community |
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of over 15,000 people in 154 countries across the world.
The community is for people who are committed to making a difference:
people who wish to share and learn from each other and who strive to see
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Membership of the Gurteen Knowledge Community is free.
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