UN Knowledge Fair opens with "Speed Networking"

This morning @tomwambeke used the "speed networking" technique to encourage the 65+ participants to get to know each other (to the extent possible) and to dish out their expectations for the next 3 days.

The method

• Line participants up in two rows, facing each other
• Ask them a question and get them to record key points on a large post-it
• After 2 mins, stop the discussion, get one row to move two persons to the left
  
• Ask another question and give 2 mins to record the discussion (repeat this as many times as you like - he did it 3 times)
• Go back to table and at each table group the "expectations" into clusters
• Once the groups were done, we posted our groups expectations (5) onto a large board. When we were posting to the board, we looked for ideas similar to ours that may have come from other groups.
• Create a mind-map of the expectations.

The three questions we were asked were:

1. What's our KM background and what are our expectations for the next three days?
2. What do we think are good examples of inter-agency KM activities?
3. What are our learning needs and motivation for participating for the three days?
   

Some of the expectations that came out of our group were:

• What is the methodology for Knowledge Fairs?
• How to systematize KM within our organizations.
• How can the UN KM Community stay in touch.
• What are the good practices in KM implementation?
• Who’s doing what?
• Learn about different methods and tools for KM implementation.
• Be exposed to innovative KM/KS methodologies.
• How to implant KM at and between different levels – global, regional, local.

There were many others which I will share once the mind map becomes available.