We worked with Sistema B in the creation and facilitation of its Day B celebration in Argentina, in which more than 100 organizations from different sectors related to environmental issues participated
It is surprising to see how often events are planned down to the last detail without taking into account the secret of any successful event: that the people who participate feel at ease and are truly enriched by the experience. Tight schedules,
overly long conferences or few spaces for dialogue and reflection are some of the common characteristics that we believe every event should try to avoid.
The approach offered by the design of events from an agile perspective seeks to break with this non-participatory logic in which most of these events fall into and aims to generate transformative experiences that take advantage of the subjective and unique contributions that each person who chooses to participate in these spaces has to offer.
BACKGROUND:
Sistema B is an organization that aims to generate a change in the economy, certifying and promoting companies that include within their objectives the well-being of people, societies and the Earth. The objective of these companies is no longer blind profit, but rather they seek to grow while producing a triple positive impact on their environment.
There is already a community of approximately 350 B-companies in Latin America and, fortunately, these numbers continue to grow. On October 31, B-Day is celebrated in Argentina and, in 2018, we had the opportunity to work together with this organization to design a different event that lived up to the B ideals. Our role was to provide a design look during the planning of the event and then, to facilitate certain dynamics during the event itself. Sistema B was looking for a different format for their event, with more participation of each attendee and group dynamics. They did not intend to exhibit an endless number of presentations by specialists. On the contrary: they wanted to show that what keeps Sistema B alive is the community that makes it up and feeds it. As an agent of change, this community has much to offer and much to learn from itself.
The Sistema B team wanted to focus on this great value, and what could be better than to invite the entire community to share a day in a different space and with mobilizing activities.
PLANNING: TRANSLATING CLEAR OBJECTIVES INTO GENEROUS TIME FRAMES:
Each block in the agenda of an event has a different purpose and it is necessary to find a balance between that purpose and the dosage of time and information so that the activities and exhibitions flow. For this reason, we met with the Sistema B team in four meetings prior to the event and we looked for a dynamic agenda focused on people's experience.
We thought and discussed what we wanted to achieve with each specific activity and then, we defined the agenda for the event together. For this task, we took a few but effective basic premises: Find an agile pace in the agenda and shorten as much as possible the time of each presentation. Enable diverse and meaningful networking spaces.
As a result, each presentation was limited to a maximum duration of 20 to 25 minutes. The participatory spaces, on the other hand, were articulated in blocks of more than one hour. In this way, the passive listening blocks were limited and the blocks of dialogue and interaction were enhanced.
The first participatory block was held mid-morning, allowing the continuation of these dialogues and new links in the more relaxed framework of lunch, and the second participatory block was held at the end of the day, so that each participant felt that his or her presence and contributions had been the raw material that gave meaning to the whole day.
REFLECTION AND THE JOURNAL JOIN FORCES TO RECORD EXPERIENCES:
Although we keep valuable memories of transforming experiences, there is something ephemeral that escapes all remembrance. Emotions, doubts and sensations are not the same when they are lived and when they are remembered. They also acquire a new character when they are processed. We are aware that we cannot escape immediacy, but we also know that we have elements to catch, even if it is only a pinch of those intangibles that slip through our fingers. For this reason, we like to insist on the production of a notebook or logbook that allows us to capture our ideas with subjective strokes, thoughts, fears or moments of inspiration.
We have also faced the immobilizing syndrome of the blank page and we know how difficult it is to turn experiences into words without any previous guidelines. To avoid the immobility of blank pages, our blogs always include friendly guidelines, informal guides, unexpected questions or slogans with only one condition: the rule is that there are no rules. Each person is free to complete, write or illustrate his or her log as he or she wishes.
IF COOL CONVERSATIONS HAPPEN IN A COFFEE SHOP, LET'S MAKE OUR EVENT A COFFEE SHOP:
The World Cafe methodology literally means "World Cafe". Its particularity is that it tries to emulate the warmth and informality of a coffee shop chat, enabling meaningful conversation processes among small groups of people. These conversations revolve around powerful questions and aim to generate concrete and innovative ideas and actions. The effect is always wonderful, and much of that has to do with the premise that dialogue between groups always exceeds the sum of its parts. After a certain amount of time, people from one group switch to another group, until all the proposed questions have been addressed.
At this point, our team took the microphone and quickly broke up the binary structure of the stage-booths. We invited everyone to form rounds of approximately 10 people. We asked them a question to answer as a group and started counting the time. We repeated this 2 more times with new questions and always inviting people to relocate to other groups and renew their network. The proof that the conversations worked was that every time the time ran out, each group wanted to continue the chat and it took us a few minutes to return to silence to relay the next question. Some people rotated to other groups, others stayed in place, others simply took a different place in the round, making their own version of this World Café.
COHESION AND ATTENTION, LUXURY GOODS AT BIG EVENTS:
Events work as waves of cohesion and dispersion. People attending an event need breaks and free time to process new information, connect with other people or simply breathe and renew their energies. The lunch segment is always a good way to generate this relaxation. The challenge is to find that group cohesion to resume activities without this being perceived as an abrupt change or as an imposition.
The B-Day was held in a very large garden and the lunch took place outdoors. We needed a dynamic that would allow people to move quickly inside the venue and that, at the same time, would act as an "alarm clock" to be able to resume the day with attention. We took advantage of this moment to introduce a well-known game: rock, paper, scissors. The novelty was not the game itself, but the modality we chose.
We proposed a rock-paper-scissors competition, starting by playing with the person next to us and, as someone lost, they had to accompany the winning person in search of two other people. This exponential dynamic meant that two people became four, and four became eight. Within minutes, there were only two finalists left, each with an entourage of people around them, who had previously lost and had become part of the crowd that cheered on each finalist.
OPEN SPACE 2.0: TAILOR-MADE PARTICIPATORY SPACES:
In the "Open Space" dynamic, large groups of people usually define an agenda of topics collaboratively and then discuss these topics in simultaneous conversations that take place within a given time frame.
For B-Day, we thought of a hybrid version of this dynamic. Our goal was to generate conversations and we wanted to articulate them around topics of interest to the community. As each topic involved the presence of a reference person with specific knowledge and experience on their topic, generating a collaborative agenda would have meant losing the possibility of having the valuable contribution of these people.
We formed teams, the two finalists were called to the stage inside the venue, and the fans accompanied each of them. In anticipation of the final contest, we proposed that each finalist tell what his or her purpose was for B-Day and that, instead of continuing to compete, we focus on collaboration and self-management.
Not only did people quickly wake up from "lunch mode," but they did so with laughter. Laughter at the playful experience itself and at the unexpected situation of revisiting a childhood game at a work event.
The topics for discussion were chosen in advance and we were able to count on the presence of representatives from Natura and Danone, among other B companies.
The topics chosen were:
The B Company: opportunities and challenges in the market.
New Economy in the mainstream
Accelerating the triple impact from public policy
Initiating the B path
The person as a driver of change
Finance and impact investment
B+Cities
The university as a triple impact trainer
We adopted the "Open Space" logic to make the conversations more dynamic. Each participant could join three different and consecutive rounds of 15 minutes each, taking advantage of the presence of specialists in each space. In the rounds, the role of host was reserved for each specialist, who had to initiate the conversation and take care of the focus in order to reach the most fruitful result possible. At the same time, the rounds also involved a person who acted as a companion, taking note of the main themes and conclusions of the conversation. To ensure that the conversations unfolded in all their splendor, we placed special emphasis on a few guidelines:
Leverage the law of motion to make each person part of the right conversation. If a topic was not of interest, the right way was to approach another talk.
Use energy to share and not to convince, generating responsible listening.
Regulate participation time to avoid monopolizing the conversation and make room for other voices.
Design and facilitation of events: How to open channels for genuine bonding.
At the end of the conversation time, a sharing of what was discussed in each group was done to give a comprehensive view of the exercise. In this way, the debate was recapitulated, fixing the shared ideas and, in addition, providing a summary for those who did not participate in any of the topics.
Bright events yield bright results
The habit of attending passive events makes newer events like this one a breath of fresh air. There was very good feedback from the people who attended the event because of our emphasis on generating real conversations. The B community is on the move and this good reception helped us to confirm that it is a community that is consolidating and empowering itself by generating new ties and powerful bonds.
In the information age, one of the few things you can't google are genuine connections with real people. Being able to be part of this space of union between almost 500 people interested in making this world a better place was an incredibly nourishing experience, both for each attendee and for our team. This is why we continue to bet on generating deep and meaningful conversations that are the seed of great projects.
TESTIMONY:
Marina Arias, producer of the B-Day event, reflects on the spirit of the event and the way we work:
“Sistema B had already experimented with some conversational dynamics and its team was completely open to innovative proposals like Kubadili's. During the planning the event, the Kubadili team pushed us to unthinkable extremes to get out of our comfort zone and find a new point of balance. It was wonderful to see how we broke structures, only to find a much fresher middle ground. Everything happened as we were told it would. They taught me to trust people and let them self-organize through the slogans, giving them the opportunity to contribute and be without restricting.
The Kubadili team brings so much more to the table than facilitating events. They are wonderful people and they are consistent with what they build. They bring a new way of thinking that is not at all common. They show us how to rely on a collective intelligence, bringing new perspectives. This is something I value very much as an event producer because I can transfer it and recommend it to more organizations.”
RESULTS IN NUMBERS:
5 participation spaces were provided, lasting 3 hours each
Between 20 and 50 people from different organizations from all over the country participated in each space. They represented more than 100 organizations from different sectors related to environmental issues: national and local governments officers, university staff and researchers, and private sector representatives.
9 Kubadili specialists facilitated the event.
3 training sessions of 4 hours each were carried out for approximately 25 agents from different national organizations.