Over at LexThink they are undergoing some changes, with an updated logo (that still leaves _a lot_ to be desired, in my never humble opinion) and a new tag line, “the legal unconference company.”
One of the LexThink principals, Dennis Kennedy has a nice roundup of un-conference posts and I wanted to throw in my two cents.
I’ve only had the pleasure of attending one LexThink event, Blawgthink 2005, but it was one of the single best and most productive conferences I’ve been to. There are some different opinions on what an “unconference” is or should be, but I think that LexThink does a tremendous job with their implementation/interpretation.
I think is important to realize that an “unconference” does not mean “unstructured”. Instead, the structure is organic and comes from the desires and goals of the attendees, not a mandated structure from the conference organizers. The result is that you learn far more in an unconference session (generally)–at least I do.
That isn’t to say that every session is a hit. It takes the right presenter to be fluid enough to work well in an environment that isn’t rigid and pre-planned. That’s one of the LexThink strengths–finding the right people. It also takes an open mind and a willingness of the attendees to take charge of their own agenda and not to settle for being spoon fed information. Sometimes, one or the other isn’t there and the result is a lack-luster session.
But surprisingly often, the attendees are excited about having some input and step up, and the presenters are excited about the interest from their audience. The excitement is contagious, a feedback loop of sorts. When everything comes together, the result can be a fantastic, interesting, and *productive* session where more information flows in all directions and learning abounds.
I know I sound a bit like an evangelist, but seriously, give an unconference a try sometime, it’s worth the risk. It won’t cost you anything but time and chances are you’ve wasted plenty of that in traditional conferences already.
Dave,
Thanks for the kind words. The unconference notion, especially when coupled with Open Space principles and techniques, has become attractive to many people. We spend so much time in meetings and presentations that feel unproductive these days. It always seems that we can learn so much from each other, but the traditional approaches make that very difficult. Unconferences provide ways for people to connect, to share, and to learn from each other about what they care about. Those are good things, at least in my opinion.
As always, I enjoy reading your blog.
Matt is our current log designer. and I believe he has updating the logo on his agenda.
Dennis