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    Entries in HRevolution (38)

    Friday
    Nov122010

    HRevolution 2011 - Call for speakers (kind of)

    The next installment of HRevolution, the original 'unconference' for Human Resources professionals. will hold its third event this April in the Peach City -  Atlanta, Georgia on April 29 and 30, 2011.

    For past attendees of HRevolution 1 and 2 in Louisville and Chicago respectively, you will be familiar with the general format and vibe of the event.  Loosely structured, participant driven, and hopefully delivering on the promise of relevant, challenging, and interactive content and conversation.

    Unlike traditional industry conferences, at HRevolution the 'speakers' or 'presenters' don't really do much speaking and presenting.  That is not the idea.

    Rather, they serve to guide and facilitate a conversation, debate, dialogue, and even an occasional dispute about their subject area or topic.

    For the last two events, those of us on the organizing committee have not had a formal or official call for presenters.  The first event was very small, and it was pretty easy to recruit and organize the needed number of facilitators to present what was an engaging, if compressed program.  At HRevolution2 in Chicago, the event got much larger in terms of attendees, but our approach to organizing the program was more or less the same as the first event.  Talk to our friends and colleagues, put together a diverse and compelling (we thought) program, and hope for a good outcome.

    While those approaches to program organization and speaker solicitation did work well, as we begin the planning process for HRevolution3, we have come to the conclusion that the same strategies might not result in the kind of program and event that we really want to present in Atlanta.  If we simply reach out to our personal networks, and to the people we already know and respect, we will get a solid program for sure, but we are not convinced that we will be doing ourselves and the attendees any favors.

    Recently we opened up a discussion on the HRevolution LinkedIn group to get some input and ideas for topics and sessions and the overriding sentiment from the 40 or so replies was that we needed to try and branch out, to extend the conversation into areas like finance and operations, to engage a CFO or CEO type to lead a session at the next event.  In short, people are getting tired of hearing the same kinds of sessions about the same kinds of topics.

    I am not talking about 'seat at the table' horsecrap, the HRevolution 1 and 2 presenters were far too good for that, but what people are saying is that we shouldn't simply put on another event, talk about the same seven topics, and have a big party to tell each other how fabulous we all are.

    So as the organizing committee commences preparations for HRevolution3 in Atlanta, we realize that we need to try and find and recruit some new and different voices to the conversation.  Voices that may be front-line HR practitioners, or people from marketing or manufacturing, or even business leaders that ethat really don't think all that much of HR.

    In that spirit of expanding the arena of potential topics and session facilitators, we have decided to set up a simple 'Speaker Submissions' page on the HRevolution site. If you are interested in speaking/facilitating at HRevolution3 in Atlanta, or know someone who would be a great facilitator at the event, please head over to the site and let us know what you are thinking.

    We are hoping to program a different kind of HR event, a different kind of HRevolution even.

    So to start the process of generating, gathering, and assembling the best ideas, the ones that participants will value, please head over to HRevolution Speaker Submissions page and let us know what is on your mind. We will be soliciting ideas via that form until the end of December or so. But remember, we need our facilitators to guide, enable, and frame conversations more than we need them to 'speak'.  

    Because if there is one thing we have learned over the last couple of years, HR people are pretty tired of being spoken to at conferences, and are much more interested in having their voices heard.

    If you have any questions at all about speaking/facilitating at the next HRevolution, shoot me a note - steveboese at gmail dot com, hit me up on Twitter, or leave a comment or start a discussion on the HRevolution LinkedIn group.

    Saturday
    May152010

    Barnstorming

    Ok, I know what you are saying, enough about HRevolution already.  

    It seems like this event has been reviewed, analyzed, critiqued, and deconstructed about as much as the Zapruder film.

    For those of us on the organizing committee we are placed in the position of what, where, how, and when (and certainly if) this event, or similar events should continue.  As Jason Seiden observes, correctly I think, that there is an excitement and interest level in this event, that at times that seems disproportional to the the real size and influence of the event itself.  

    Maybe it is just the sound of my ears ringing from all the blog posts, tweets, and internet radio shows rattling around in the echo chamber.

    I wonder if we should take the event on the road, like in an old-fashioned barnstorming tour, hitting up five cities in a week to see if the message, format, vibe, energy, etc. that was HRevolution 2010 actually has meaning and relevance outside our bubble. Can I be Richard Pryor?

    I am actually (sort of) serious.  Load up a camper or a van, start in St. Cloud or Fargo or Omaha, pick an end point like St. Louis or Cincinnati, stop in a different city each day and conduct half day or full day, HRevolution 'participatory' mini-conference.  So instead of the typical local event for HR pros that can often focus on legal, compliance, and more 'practical' topics, we drop in with some of the HRev topics like influence, employer brand, technology, networking, or what ever is important to that community.

    Note: I am thinking we need to move from the 'Unconference' term if we ever do want to break out of the echo chamber.  If you don't believe me, check this poll of SmartBrief on Workforce readers.

    Taking the HRevolution out on the road might be the best way to try and directly reach some of the 95% of the working HR professionals that have no clue what all this fuss is about, get better connected to the real issues facing these practitioners, and perhaps ground those of us inside the echo chamber.

    Or it could be just an excuse to rent a camper or an RV and go on a little bit of a midwestern or southeastern roadie for a week this summer.  I have made many of the same arguments before with my family, just substituting 'attending minor league baseball games' with 'conducting HRevolution-style sessions with local HR professionals'. 

    So what do you think?  Anyone want to get on the bus this summer?  Anyone out there want to host and help us rally the local HR community where you live?

    Or is this more or less crazy?

     

    Print

     

    Monday
    May102010

    HRevolution 2010 - Top Ten List

    The HRevolution 2010 was fantastic, as expected, and I in the next few days will certainly dive in to some of the topics like culture, 'The Secret', and informal learning in more detail, I wanted to just to a quick brain dump of some of my key observations.

    So here goes the David Letterman-style Top 10 Things I learned at HRevolution 2010:

    10.Environment really matters.  When people first stepped off the elevator and walked into Catalyst Ranch you could see and hear their excitement and enthusiasm.  I think you can be creative and disruptive and innovative in a hotel conference room. Maybe.  But in a cool, colorful, and quirky space like the Catalyst, opening your mind and letting loose seems so much more likely.

    9.Social networks are perhaps even more powerful that I thought.  Several people attended HRevolution completely on the basis of wanting to meet some of the bloggers they read or the people they were only acquainted with on Twitter.

    8. Lance Haun would not throw his HR Apprentice team leader Mike Krupa under the bus despite ample opportunity and encouragement.  In fact, the HR Apprentice session, one that 'forced' participants to engage and then defend their thoughts, was one of the highlights of the day I think.

    7. Dress codes at events, and possibly in most workplaces, are for suckers. At the #Monstersocial event on Friday night, we had flip-flops, pajama pants, fancy dresses, and even a tuxedo turn up.  No one cared.  Create an environment where people can be comfortable as they are, and they will absolutely shine, even in a tuxedo.

    6. Live radio shows are fun, even if it can be impossible to hear what is going on.  We had a great time doing the HR Happy Hour show 'Live from the #Monstersocial Red Carpet', but I suspect for anyone listening at home, it may have sounded like a train wreck.  Thanks to the great China Gorman for her enthusiastic listening and tweeting during the show.

    5. If you in to the whole 'personal brand' thing, you better have a good idea about it.  On the HR Happy Hour the fabulous Maren Hogan told us that 'My personal brand is gorgeous', and you know what - no one around the room disagreed.

    4. If I had to distill all the conversations I heard down to one word, the word would be 'culture'.  Discussions about culture permeated many of the sessions, from branding and culture alignment, to diversity, to informal learning and collaboration, and even in the HR Apprentice session.  Has organizational culture development become the new 'seat at the table'?

    3. Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes are incredible.

    2. During the event, and immediately after, many attendees asked me, and I suspect most of the other organizers - 'What's Next?' When will the next HRevolution take place?  Will it bigger, better, more powerful than before?  Here is what I (personally) think - we should not rush to decide 'What's Next?' until we have a better feel for what 'this'is.   And I mean that we need to see how (or if) people that attended the event turn out to be successful in applying the things they heard, leveraging the connections they made, and actually see positive outcomes both personally and professionally.  Without those kinds of outcomes, then HRevolution is just a 36 hour funfest with 125 cool people. 

    1. What was 'said'at HRevolution matters much less than what gets done the other 364 days of the year.  As Laurie and Lance suggested in their closingsession, how HRevolution influences behavior, business practices, and ultimately changes not just how HR gets done, but how businesses are run and managed is the barometer by which the event, and the ability of those of us in the HR social media bubble will be measured.  The conversation, and the connections, are just the small, first step.  But truly, it is an important step.

    Thanks to Trish McFarlane and Ben Eubanks for creating this and for letting me be a small part of the movement.  It was great to work with you again, along with Jason Seiden, Mark Stelzner, Crystal Peterson, and Joan Ginsberg.

    I am honored to be included in such fine company.

     

     

    Wednesday
    May052010

    HRevolution 2010 - Sharing the Experience

    HRevolution 2010 is just two days away.

    As is the case with any big event, as it draws closer the excitement ratchets up a level or two. Blog posts are written, radio shows are scheduled, tweets start flying, and an overall feeling of 'something really fantastic is about to happen' seems to infect the participants.

    And sadly in the case of HRevolution, not everyone who wants to attend will be able to, either due to scheduling conflicts, or travel problems, or quite simply because every last available place is spoken for.

    Since at least part of the unique value of this kind of less-formal, participant driven event is the openness and sharing that occurs before, during, and after the 'official' proceedings are complete we thought it would be a good idea to share some information and observations about sharing the HRevolution experience beyond the 100 or so attendees.

    Pre-conference

    In the short time remaining before the event, if you are attending and have not had a chance yet, please consider joining the LinkedIn HRevolution group, and following the HRevolution Facebook page. Honestly, even if you are not attending I'd recommend checking them out.  Both are great resources for sharing information with other attendees and organizers, and for connecting with people in advance of the event.  Already attendees are using these groups to organize mini-events and meet ups in the free time before the official festivities begin.

    We also plan to keep both of these resources active and vibrant to continue and enhance the relationships, the issues, and the learning. If there are any questions at all, please feel free to post them on either of those platforms, I think you will find about 100 or so of your HRevolution pals more than willing to help out.

    During the conference

    Unlike some events where stuffy presenters admonish attendees for blogging, tweeting, or simply taking notes - at HRevolution you are free to tap, tap, tap away at your laptop or smartphone as much as you like.  But a couple of things to note - HRevolution will have 'official' note takers in every session to capture the important points, interesting discussions, and actionable recommendations.  These notes will be compiled, distributed, and shared with the community. So don't feel like you have to be a 'reporter' during the sessions.  Make sure you are sharing, contributing, challenging, and connecting with everyone in Chicago.  We will make sure via a combination of session notes, blog posts, video and podcasts that as much of the essential essence of the HRevolution gets shared with the folks who could not be with us.

    Post-conference

    The conference will be over in a few short hours,  but the learning, sharing, and connecting will to some extent, have just begun.  You will have either made new relationships or strengthened existing ones. Your 'first-degree' network of talented and passionate HR professionals will have expanded by the dozens.  These connections will continue to add value to your personal and professional endeavors.

    HRevolution related blog posts will be collected and compiled into a special HRevolution-themed Carnival of HR, and feel free to post their links on the Facebook page, LinkedIn group, and tweet them out with the #HRevolution tag. Tag any pictures and videos you share on Flickr and YouTube with the #HRevolution tag as well.

    But mostly, take the relationships that you form and the ideas you generate at HRevolution and build upon them.  Expand them,  fortify them, turn them into something new and fantastic and meaningful.

    The HRevolution, on paper, lasts for less than 24 hours.  But you can make it last far, far longer than that.

    See you in Chicago!

    Sunday
    May022010

    Spreading the Word one PDF at a Time

    This week at the HRevolution Unconference one of the important themes will be how to drive more awareness in mainstream and corporate HR leadership of what is going on in the growing HR Social Media community, and to discuss and create strategies and approaches to guard against those of us in this space from simply talking to ourselves all the time.

    In fact the closing session of the event (full agenda is available here), is titled:

    Breaking Out of the Echo Chamber: Expanding the HR Social Media Community

    In this session Laurie Ruettimann and Lance Haun will lead the discussion on ways to increase participation, awareness, acceptance (you get the idea) of these new methods of connection and collaboration in the 'old-school' HR community.  I am personally really looking forward to the session.

    In that light, I wanted to share a little service that I have been using to try and get more 'non-blog readers' aware of what is going on here on my blog.  I am sure if you are a blogger, or at least a reader of blogs, you often talk to people at your organization or at events that say they never read blogs, or they can't be bothered to search, locate, subscribe to, and read even a few of the scores of excellent HR blogs that are written every day.

    The service is called Tabbloid, a free utility from Hewlett-Packard that lets you register your favorite blog's RSS feed, set up schedule for how frequently you would like to receive updates, and then get a PDF file of your personal 'magazine' of blog posts and articles delivered to your email.  Think of it as an easy way to be able to get a document that can be read offline, can easily be printed in a 'print-friendly' format, and distributed to less social media inclined people in a method and manner that they are likely more comfortable with.

    In fact, you can even use Tabbloid as an ad-hoc document creation and publishing mechanism for a given RSS feed (or group of feeds) content.  So if you are about to walk into a meeting or an interview, or get on a plane and need some additional 'offline' reading you can quickly produce a document with the last collection of posts from your favorite blogs.

    For an example of what the created Tabbloid magazine looks like, here is the last week's worth of posts from this blog, wrapped up in a nice little 4-page document - Steve's Last 5 Posts.

    For now the service is pretty basic, there is no way to modify or customize the 'magazine' title or place a custom header or footer on the document, but if you want an easy way to hand a doubting colleague or executive an nice, familiar looking document that contains a selection of content from your blog or from a collection of blogs that you recommend, then I think you should give Tabbloid a try.