BarCamps?

Here is a blog post contributed by a friend of mine, Lisa Downs. She has her own company called DevelopmentWise. She's a smart, smart, professional - and fun, too.. Thanks, Lisa, for this great post about BarCamps!

At a recent gathering of learning and development colleagues, I was introduced to the idea of BarCamps (also called FooCamps) as a method of exploring and learning about a variety of topics in a collaborative, open environment. Not being a technophile, this concept was completely new to me, and I’m curious if others are familiar with these events and have tried one in their organizations or otherwise as an approach to learning, tackling management or internal organizational issues, or sharing knowledge.

Apparently, the idea stems from an event hosted by O’Reilly Media and is best described as an “unconference” where someone arranges a gathering place and provides refreshments, equipment, a WiFi connection, flip charts, etc. and lets the participants set the agenda for the event when they arrive. The agenda of topics for learning or discussion is fluid and everyone is expected to participate by presenting information, conducting demonstrations, and facilitating lively conversation. There’s some great information available at http://barcamp.org if interested. Wikis, blogs, and other tools may also be used to help participants prepare for the BarCamp and share ideas afterward.

It seems that many professionals in learning and development, performance improvement, and talent management arenas continue to be curious about how to incorporate collaborative media, technology, and innovative ideas into their work and provide more blended and varied experiences to their learners, but may be hesitant to jump right in. A BarCamp strikes me as an intriguing as a way to get started, if feasible. The possibility of using BarCamps as a way to enable those from different generations to interact and learn from each other is exciting, not only for the promise of collaboration and creativity, but also as a way to engage future leaders.

As someone who recently launched a business to provide learning, performance, and talent management solutions to organizations, I know it is critical to keep pace with emerging technologies and innovative solutions to challenges. If you have experience with BarCamps, or any other “out of the box” solutions you’ve tried for learning, resolving issues, or collaboration, I’d enjoy hearing from you. Like many in the learning industry, my background is more centered in training facilitation, coaching, and leadership/learning program development, so every bit of information helps to incorporate fresh ideas into client work and encourage colleagues to use.