Drumbeat/events/kit/facilitation/notes/openingcircle

In the spirit of inclusion, starting events with an “opening circle” is an excellent opportunity to let everyone's voice be heard and set a tone of participation for the day.

• 5 minutes before you want to start, announce "Five minutes until we start, please join us in the main circle"

• ALL Repeat at least once in 2-3 minutes, talking to smaller groups instead of yelling/projecting to everyone

• 0 minutes before you want to start ask each person who is not yet in circle to please join the group.

• Once everyone is seated, pause for at least 60 seconds before starting, just to let folks get settled and create a group energy

• Welcome everyone to the event with a sense of excitement and gratitude
  • Smile and convey warmth
  • Spread your arms wide to convey openness and welcome
  • State how excited and grateful you are to have so many great participants and such a great agenda

• Cover essential logistics:
  • Bathroom locations
  • Take early opportunity to stress the responsibility of community: everyone must engage and interact for the day to thrive.
    • This is not a passive listening conference, this is an interactive learning event about the open web

If it is a multi-lingual event

• • Explain [IN PRIMARY LANGUAGE] that this is being facilitated as a bi/multi-lingual event, French/English
    • Thank them for the patience during "whisper translation" when the proceedings are translated to English speakers
  • [IN SECONDARY LANGUAGE(S)] Thank secondary language speakers for participating in a PRIMARY LANGUAGE event
    • Let them know that whisper translation is available
  • Humbly discourage “multi-tasking”. Invite participants to be "fully present" and:
    • Close laptops
    • Set cell phones silent or turn them all the way off
    • Remind folks that there will be breaks where they can check email, check voicemail, tweet and do other updates
    • Thank everyone for their understanding about these details

• Do the introductory go-round of participants
  • Explain that everyone will be helping to create the program with their knowledge, stories, and questions, so the event will start by everyone saying their name.
  • It helps to explicitly invite everyone to listen actively and remain fully present during the go-round.
  • Assure everyone this will go quickly
  • Start the go-round
    • "Say your name, where you're "from" & a word that describes your mood at the start of this day"

• After the go-round, invite one of the organizers to say a word or two about why we're here

• Provide a brief agenda overview. Narrating how the program will flow gives participants a mental map and context for subsequent discussions. Talk through the phases of the event:
  • We'll start with highly interactive discussions on topics relating to the open web
  • Next we'll move to interactive fast-paced project presenations - "has anyone here been "speeddating"? - good way to get a superficial knowledge so you can get together afterwards - if you have a project talk to Henrik
  • We'll then have small discussion-oriented break-out sessions on various aspects of the open web
  • make sure that everyone understands that additional slots for breakouts and how to get them - point to the wall and show the stickies - tell them that Paul - ask him to stand up - is in charge of this session and to talk to him.
  • We'll finish with drinks and snacks
• Invite questions about the agenda or logistics
  • BUT emphasize this is not a time for anouncements