Engage / Listen : A Shift
After attending multiple events and chatting with folks at NYC Climate Week, I want to report out on a key theme that I heard from lots of folks:
very few people want to sit through panels.
Some people are opting out of big events altogether because they don’t like the expectation that they will sit and absorb without without an equal opportunity to engage.
Lately, I have been finding I agree with this and personally gravitate towards events where I know I’m going to be able to discuss freely with people doing good work. The creativity, friendliness and connections that come from mingling and talking with people is, for me at least, a lot more valuable than a few insights from listening to other people talk for 40 minutes.
I don’t mean to throw a stone from a glass house (or whatever the expression is); I also sit on panels, and people I greatly respect sit on panels and organize panels. It’s the way we have done things and one of the ways we lift certain people and certain ideas up. I get how we got here, and I willingly participate.
What I’m getting at is people are changing in the way they want to engage, and I think we will see an increasing number of collaborative and dynamic events.
These types of events also level the playing field for individuals, so someone who maybe just started their business can end up chatting with an industry veteran who has a wealth of information. These cross pollinations are critical for our industries to move forward, to spark new and creative ideas. It’s also a good sign that there is a building appetite for less hierarchical experiences.
What I’m describing is the same experience as going to a conference and the best part is always the hallway conversations. The conference itself is important in convening these groups of people, but asking people to sit and listen for 60 or 90 minutes is feeling outdated to me. People want to engage, meet others, use their voice, share ideas, etc.
We ( Laura Novich and I) are creating this collaborative space in our Circular Coalition; our second cohort started this week with 52 individuals. These are folks from all different kinds of organizations, tiny start ups to public companies. Everyone shows up as themselves and, most of the time, as a representative of the organization they work for. People are paired up and put into small groups at random, so the diversity of opinions and levels is part of the experience.
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Lastly, I can appreciate that some of this comes down to learning styles. Some people may prefer to sit and listen because their brain can process that more easily than having a conversation, which can feel like more work.
That’s my big opinion for the week!
The Untangling Circularity Podcast
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Until next week,
Cynthia / cynthia@moltevolte.com
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Software expertise for your circular economy initiatives | Fractional CTO
2moYou are sooo right! Panels and endless presentations at events are too often soulless.
Product Reuse + Repair Research Designer | Sustainability Strategist
2moAgree! Sometimes these panels feel like they're just trying to get as many names as they can on a ticket and missing the value those names can provide in terms of actual deep discussion and engagement. Since isn't the end goal to grow circularity? Are you doing that if no one is encouraged to really speak with each other?