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August 04, 2009

Is letting people participate really so scary?

You probably know that Davis & Company holds an ongoing series of web workshops (Here's our fall schedule.) Our philosophy about participation can be summed up as follows: Participants get full rights. They chat (and everyone can see what they write). They take part in polls (and we share results). Draw, doodle, annotate. Freely voice their comments or questions (by phone).

But this summer I’ve been presenting for other organizations, where the practices couldn’t be more different. These organizations place all kinds of restrictions on participation:

  • All phones are muted except during the Q&A session.

  • The participant list is hidden.

  • Chat is restricted; sometimes you can send a note to the moderator; sometimes not even that.

  • All annotation tools (in fact, all tools) are shut off.

    What’s going on here? When I ask, organizers tend to claim that the reasons they don’t give participants more leeway is because of “time management” or “distractions” or “confidentiality.”

    But I detect a whiff of anxiety behind the rational. Here’s what they’re really worried about: What if participants misbehave? What if we lose control? What if something happens that we didn’t plan for?

    My response is this: You get what you give. If you run your workshop as a one-way experience, then people will sit there quietly and passively. The trains will run on time, for sure, but the session won’t be dynamic and participative.

    If, however, you turn on all the tools and let participants . . . participate, chances are they will. Oh, occasionally, you may get someone who talks too much or doodles while the speaker is speaking or writes something strange in chat. But what’s the harm? It just makes the experience more human and real.

    And isn’t that more cool than being completely (and boringly) buttoned down?

    Posted by Alison Davis at August 4, 2009 04:21 PM

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    Comments

    Great headline. If your cookie has a bite-sized action and your reader completes the action, I think two things happen. Their self-confidence goes up (which feels good) and their trust in you increases.

    Posted by: Debt Settlement Help at September 10, 2009 08:26 PM

    The power of fear is formidable.

    Posted by: Paul Maloney at September 21, 2009 07:27 AM