Speed Dating

[Viv McWaters]

Hello everyone
I'm wondering if you can help with some ideas for a 'speed dating' process I have to facilitate later this week at a National Theatre Forum. There's likely to be about 250 people present.

The premise is that when you get producers, directors, actors, writers etc together in the same room, they will all want to either pitch an idea or seek an idea. While this will happen throughout the forum, the organisers decided to formalise it somewhat by providing a place in the program. I have about 2 hours.

I'm thinking of using Jumpstart Stories process - people stand in groups of 10 and each person has 90 seconds to pitch their idea or need. After everyone has had a go the groups disperse and reform, pitching the same idea or need to their new group. After three rounds, we do some star sociometry where you put your hand on the shoulder of someone whose idea you want more info on etc.

With 250 people I'll have 25 groups of 10 and people will get an opportunity to pitch to 29 others. It's random, chaotic and not at all fair.

I'd be really grateful for any thoughts, ideas, suggestions. Improv words of wisdom, other approaches... Thanks.

Cheers

Viv

[William Hall]

Viv, Sounds like you have a good format there.

There is something in the category game that might work here too.

One person raises their hand and says, anyone who mostly does comedy stand over here. [and then people move to that area - note who is there for later connection]

another hand: "anyone who has been in the market for less than a year, stand over here"

and so on....

One of the things I like about this exercise is that it gets people moving around in the space...breaking down the formality a bit.

Will you let me know what you finally decide and how it goes?

Thanks,

William Hall
SF, CA USA

[Viv McWaters]

Hi William
Thanks for your ideas - got me thinking about using some category sociometry. Here's what I ACTUALLY did (which of course varied from hat I planned to do).

There were 250 people in random seating (I'd just finished a 'history wall' activity with them and then they'd had lunch). The chairs were going to be in the way. So I got everyone back into the space (no mean feat with theatre folks, I've discovered ;-) And then hen they werd all seated I asked for their help in removing all the chairs down one end of the room. I didn't realise how adept theatre folk are at doing this! Within minutes the whole space was cleared of every chair and they were all neatly stacked up one end of the room.

I then did some category sociometry (bit like Categories but not really). Artistic directors over here, administrators over there, producers, here, performers there etc. When they were all clumped, I asked them to form mixed group of 10. When I had 23 groups of 10 (with one person left over who agreed to help me - phew) I introduced Jumpstart Stories. Each group of 10 stands in a tight circle and each person has 90 seconds to pitch an idea or a need. I had a timer and would ring the bell after 90 seconds for the next person to have a go. Of course, some people take up more time, others less so in reality it's a bit random, but works nonetheless. We did two more rounds of this, each time forming a new mixed group of 10 and each person pitching the same idea or need. After three goes of this people are much clearer about what they are pitching etc.

The activity continued with Star Sociometry. I asked people to put a hand on the shoulder of the person whose idea they thought had legs. This creates 'sociometric stars'. I asked all those who had 3 or more hands on their shoulders to come to the front and we all heard their pitch. It was inspiring and energising, and really mixed people up.

I'm on my way back to the forum now - they are having a day of Open Space - so it will be interesting to hear the feedback about yesterday.

Thanks again.

Cheers

Viv