#play14 is organized as an unconference, a conference format that follows the Open Space Technology
In this format, attendees are also session contributors. Anyone who wants to initiate a topic can claim a time slot in the agenda, and the schedule is done every morning, on the spot, as we will explain later.
Once you are there, the organizers' job is over. They have provided a location, food, and drinks for the rest of the event, then it's up to you as a participant to make it a great event.
Check out the funny drawings of Claudio Perrone
There are some simple rules for participants.
As a facilitator, you should welcome anyone who has decided to join your session, and not be frustrated if you expected different people.
As a participant, you should be ready to collaborate with anyone.
As a facilitator, if you need some time to prepare, take it. Just think that people might get bored and go join another session. The best is to prepare anything in advance.
As a participant, there is nothing wrong with joining a session in progress. But respect the people who have already started, and try to jump in quietly.
You will be offered several spaces for your session. Choose the one that fits your needs as a facilitator or as a participant.
Be prepared to be surprised. Don't be annoyed if you get feedback. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't work. Try again if need be.
As a facilitator, it's up to you to mind your timebox. The organizers will not do it for you. Keep in mind that the participants of your session might want to go to another session after yours and that the room might be reserved after. Feel free to continue in a different location with whoever is interested.
Many thanks to Mari Luz Garcia for the wonderful images.
Any time a person feels a session is not contributing to their learning, they have the responsibility to themselves to get up and move. That is, use their two feet or four wheels to move to a more interesting place.
Neither the facilitator nor the other participants should feel offended about that. It's just what it is.
Bumblebees fly from group to group cross-pollinating the discussions.
Butterflies sit around looking relaxed and interesting discussions may emerge around them as people find them and pause to chat.
#play14 being an unconference, it's up to the participants to come up with the schedule. This is done every morning after some warm-up games when we fill up the marketplace.
The marketplace is a large board where you find vertically the list of all the spaces/rooms available, and horizontally all the time slots during the day. The participants come up with the schedule by adding their game/activity to the board.
If you feel like proposing a game, you will have to pitch it in front of everyone, and then add it to the marketplace.
In order to do that, you need to:
You do not need to go into many details. Just explain the main concept of your game, and list some of the takeaways. The goal is to give enough information so that people want to come to your session.
To keep it fun, make sure to keep it short.
It is perfectly fine to propose that has already been proposed by someone else or played before. Actually, it is encouraged, if you want to get better at facilitating. Over the years, some games have become the #play14 classics. Facilitating one of these is a great way to progress.
Remember that #play14 is about experimenting. It is by taking some risks and getting out of your comfort zone that you will get better. We have seen people who discovered a game one day as a player and facilitated that same game the next day.
YES, YES, and again YES. There is nothing sadder than a great game, full of learning opportunities, without a good debrief. Always keep some time to debrief your game/activity at the end of your session. It's your responsibility as a facilitator to make sure that all the participants can learn as much as possible from your game.
Remember that debriefing is about asking questions, not explaining to people what they should feel or understand. Try not to project your own understanding of the game, but instead ask powerful questions that will lead the group to insights linked to their own experience.
A great tool to help you do that is The Debriefing Cube.
Common workshop materials and stationery will be available.
If your game requires specific material, make sure you bring it with you or ask the hosting team in advance. If you cannot find what you are looking for, feel free to improvise.
Here is what you need to know when attending a #play14 event.
By participating to a #play14 event you tacitly agree to appear in any photo or video. However, if you find any one of them inconvenient or degrading, feel free to ask us, and we will remove the photo or video when possible.
On the second day, we start at 9 A.M. with the marketplace. Then, the sessions start. Lunch is usually served around 1 P.M. and a short debrief will take place at the end of the day, around 6 P.M.. Then it's pizza & beer time.
On the third day, the rhythm is almost the same except that we finish a little bit earlier because some people need to catch a flight and get back home.
Any profit that is made on a given event is automatically reinvested in the next event.
So, bring the materials you need to organize and facilitate the learning activities you already know in order to share them actively with your peers in a learning-by-doing and collaborative mindset.
English will be used in all general communications, but we would like to let the session leaders decide which language to use in their session.
An unconference is a conference format where attendees are also session contributors.
There are some simple rules for participants. They will be explained during the first evening plenary welcome speech, but usually, participants create the schedule during a marketplace session taking place at the beginning of each day.
Anyone who wants to initiate a topic can claim a time slot in the agenda.
One of the main objectives of #play14 is to provide a safe place for people to experiment. That means the event is designed to allow you to get as much fun as possible while learning and sharing. Therefore, the #play14 hosting teams try to encourage psychological safety and well as physical safety as much as possible.