HackconEU - What I Learnt From Event Organizing

In the past couple of years I've realised there's been quite a lot that I've learnt from event organising that I could apply in a proper job as well.

This talk is split into two parts: in the first I look at how specific skills I use in my current job map back to event organising, in the second part I focus on more general lessons or things that I wish I had learnt a bit sooner.

Transcript

1. @mseckington
   What I learnt
   from event
   organising
   

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2. What do I want
   to be when I
   grow up?
   @mseckington
   

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3. @mseckington
   

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4. 12 years later
   computer science
   @mseckington
   

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5. FutureLearn
   @mseckington
   

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6. So what
   changed?
   @mseckington
   

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7. Event
   organising
   @mseckington
   

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8. A long time ago…
   in 2007…
   there was a girl.
   hi! I’m
   Melinda!
   @mseckington
   

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9. melinda had just
   moved to london…
   So many
   events!
   @mseckington
   

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10. In 2008…
    i need to
    do something
    You know
    what?
    I’ll help out
    @mseckington
    

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11. In 2008…
    Hackathons are
    awesome!
    @mseckington
    

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12. geeks of london
    @mseckington
    

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13. hacked
    @mseckington
    

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14. and I’m
    an event
    organiser
    I’m a
    developer
    @mseckington
    

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15. @mseckington
    

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16. @mseckington
    Lessons
    Skills
    

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17. @mseckington
    Skills
    

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18. @mseckington
    

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19. @mseckington
    Developer
    Evangelism lead
    Line manager
    

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20. @mseckington
    Developer
    

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21. @mseckington
    Work within
    product team
    

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22. Design & build experiences
    @mseckington
    

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23. Design & build experiences
    @mseckington
    

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24. Manage stakeholders
    @mseckington
    

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25. @mseckington
    Evangelism
    lead
    

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26. @mseckington
    Encourage
    team to share
    what they do
    

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27. public speaking
    @mseckington
    

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28. public speaking
    nothing i
    do is worth
    sharing
    I get too
    nervous
    I’m
    not a good
    speaker
    I can’t
    present
    I’m not
    an expert
    @mseckington
    

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29. public speaking
    @mseckington
    

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30. Understand what story to tell
    @mseckington
    

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31. Understand what story to tell
    @mseckington
    

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32. Organise company events
    @mseckington
    

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33. Organise company events
    @mseckington
    

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34. Line
    manager
    @mseckington
    

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35. Responsible for
    the well-being
    and development
    of team members
    @mseckington
    

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36. Managing a team
    @mseckington
    

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37. Managing a team
    @mseckington
    

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38. Primal
    leadership
    Daniel Goleman
    Richard Boyatzis
    Annie McKee
    @mseckington
    

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39. @mseckington
    Skills
    

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40. @mseckington
    Lessons
    Skills
    

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41. @mseckington
    Lessons
    @mseckington
    

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42. @mseckington
    Never stop
    learning
    

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43. Never stop learning
    

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44. Fixed mindset
    @mseckington
    

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45. Growth mindset
    @mseckington
    

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46. If you only do
    what you can do,
    You’ll never be better
    than what you are
    “
    ”
    ~ Master Shifu
    @mseckington
    

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47. @mseckington
    Mindset
    Carol S. Dweck
    @mseckington
    

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48. @mseckington
    Be
    courageous
    

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49. courage |ˈkʌrɪdʒ|
    noun
    the ability to do something that
    frightens you
    @mseckington
    

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50. Say yes
    @mseckington
    

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51. Becoming fearless isn't
    the point.
    That's impossible.
    It's learning how to
    control your fear, and
    how to be free from it.
    “
    ”
    ~ Veronica Roth, Divergent
    @mseckington
    

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52. @mseckington
    Embrace
    failure and
    candour
    

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53. failure is a manifestation of learning
    and exploration.
    If you aren’t experiencing failure, then
    you are making a far worse mistake:
    You are being driven by the desire to
    avoid it.
    ~ Ed Catmull, Creativity, Inc.
    “
    ”
    @mseckington
    

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54. Sucking at something
    is the first step
    to being sorta
    good at something
    “
    ”
    ~ Jake
    @mseckington
    

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55. candour |ˈkandə|
    noun
    the quality of being open and honest;
    frankness
    @mseckington
    

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56. @mseckington
    Ask WHY?
    

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57. The scientist is not a
    person who gives the
    right answer, they’re
    the one who asks the
    right questions.
    “
    ”
    ~ Claude Levi-Strauss
    @mseckington
    

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58. There are no stupid questions
    @mseckington
    

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59. @mseckington
    Tell &
    champion
    stories
    

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60. You may tell a tale that takes up
    residence in someone's soul, becomes
    their blood and self and purpose.
    That tale will move them and drive
    them and who knows that they might
    do because of it, because of your
    words.
    That is your role, your gift.
    “
    ”
    ~ Erin Morgenstein, The night Circus
    @mseckington
    

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61. @mseckington
    Lessons
    @mseckington
    

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62. @mseckington
    What do I want
    to be when I
    grow up?
    

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63. @mseckington
    What next?
    

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64. @mseckington
    What have you
    learnt from
    organising events?
    

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65. Thanks for listening…
    Melinda Seckington
    FutureLearn
    @mseckington
    

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66. @mseckington
    Goal:
    https:/
    /www.flickr.com/photos/tisvet/15161469566/
    Learning:
    https:/
    /www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/15903347764
    North by Northwest:
    https:/
    /www.flickr.com/photos/blackzack00/21976036458/
    Lego Stormtrooper:
    https:/
    /www.flickr.com/photos/clement127/12411080645/
    Dancing Lego:
    https:/
    /www.flickr.com/photos/rooners/8425744435/
    Question box:
    https:/
    /www.flickr.com/photos/jarbo/9379813470/
    

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