Why is a grid sometimes useful?

Tue Aug 4 07:28:59 PDT 2009

I'd like to add a couple of points:

1) Why have a "rule" about this? Different events call for different
mechanics.

2) From what I've seen, BarCamps have a grid and no Post-its.

At the BarCamp I was part of, it never occurred to the organisers that they
could add another column to the grid and thereby accommodate another bunch
of sessions.

Best wishes to all,

Jack

Jack Martin Leith
Bristol, United Kingdom
Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)
Skype: jackmartinleith
email: jack at jackmartinleith.com
www.jackmartinleith.com

2009/8/4 Larry Peterson <larry at spiritedorg.com>

> The only "grid" I use is the one I put the post-its on.  I prefer the free
> form posting of topics on the wall, and maybe some splitting of Day 1 and
> Day 2.  For me, the chaos at the wall is intentional and if its not there,
> then the benefits of being at the "edge of chaos" are not achieved.  People
> have to use their intuition as well as logic when deciding what topic to
> pursue. It is clearly not a traditional agenda.
>
> Larry
>
>
> Larry Peterson & Associates in Transformation
> Toronto, Ontario, Canada
> larry at spiritedorg.com   416.653.4829 http://www.spiritedorg.com
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Jon
> Harvey
> Sent: August-04-09 4:48 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>  Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Why is a grid sometimes useful?
>
> Erik
>
> I have mostly created grids using making tape which certainly looks more
> like a 'standard' agenda - rows for time slots and columns for places. That
> is their main value I think...
>
> However I have experienced several difficulties:
>
> 1) Merging and combining discussions becomes a bit constrained
> 2) You need a big wall - which is often not available
> 3) I was always left wondering why we had the post-it notes and the
> scheduled box on the grid - as they duplicated each other - in effect.
> 4) If a balloon popped (or escaped - see by blog for a pic!
> http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/ ) all the sheets for that session
> had to be moved.
>
> So now I favour the freeform - but slightly organised - approach. I choose
> X
> wall spaces (where X is the number of time slots) and ask people to post
> their discussions there - attaching the appropriate sticky note (11.00ish
> and balloon G). People can consult the wall space at any time and see laid
> out, the various sessions that are happening at that time. This can apply
> to
> new people also - if they helped, as need be, to understand what it all
> means - which takes 10 seconds in my experience. Merging discussions is
> also
> far easier with this method. It also does not give any spurious 'order' to
> the ideas - because they are arranged higgledy-piggledy.
>
> For finding the discussions - I usually opt for large letter shaped
> balloons
> suspended 2m from the floor. If you are sponsoring session D - you go and
> get the D balloon and a flip chart and see who turns up. (see
>
> http://www.classiccelebrations.com/images/categories/alphabetletteraballooni
> mage.jpg for an example)
>
> Hope this helps...
>
> Very best wishes
>
> Jon
> ___________________________________________________
>
> Jon Harvey
> Director
>
> www.jonharveyassociates.co.uk
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>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Erik
> Fabian
> Sent: 04 August 2009 05:08
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>  Subject: [OSLIST] Why is a grid sometimes useful?
>
> Hello,
>
> I have been thinking about the bulletin board and the debate that happened
> a
> while back on this
> list about whether a totally free collage of session postings is somehow
> better than OS style events
> that use a grid layout that notes time/locations.
>
> I agree that the complete free flowing collage approach has an elegant
> appeal but I have been
> asking myself a different question...why do some OS style events even use a
> grid?
>
> I wonder how did the use of the grid evolve at these events? What is their
> value?
>
> I can only speculate on how these event evolved into using a grid (or if
> that is how they started out
> perhaps) but I have realize one advantage...they allow new participants to
> easily to join in with an
> event that is already in progress.
>
> When someone shows up late to a public event and encounters a messy session
> board it is hard,
> without further explanation, for them to understand what is going on, where
> it is happening, if it
> is happening, and if so when.
>
> The original OS literature I have read usually emphasizes that participants
> are present start to
> finish. There are many obvious benefits to this but the relevant one here
> is
> that everyone is
> present during the original board making. They have some sense of how it
> evolved into whatever
> mess that it becomes and how it changes as people go about the experience.
>
> It makes sense if the original OS literature isn't accounting late arrivals
> that it doesn't need
> something like a grid to help late arrivals get oriented quickly.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Cheerio,
> Erik
>
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