Maurice,

As you imply there are two aspects here, the first is getting audiences for 'normal' events and the second getting people to take part in a multi-presenter event. I assume that a good 'home crowd' would attend most events regardless of the subject.


Perhaps the IET should be surveying the membership to find out why they don't attend events? It is a failing of many organisations to only seek to find out why their 'customers' are happy while ignoring those that are unhappy, let alone finding out why some of the unhappy aren't even customers. This isn't a criticism of local organisers who do an amazing job of putting together a programme of events year after year. They put the work in and I'm sure it is appreciated by all the attendees but what makes other non-attendees?


As to getting people to do 'mini-presentations', I'm not sure that incentives are needed, it goes against the non-competitive spirit that I have in mind as that would allow more freedom in choice of format. If one speaker feels that 15 minutes is needed and another only wants five that would be fine. Again this is an area that the IET could take action 'from the top' to encourage. There must be lots of good experiences 'out there' and even some latent talent! My idea was also to try and encourage an interest in the history of technology, something that rarely makes an appearance at a 'normal' event.


This is an idea that ultimately has to be executed at a local level but could be attempted anywhere around the world. Which centre will be the first to try it? Perhaps the IET could provide an incentive for that!

It's a good idea James. I like it.


I think the fundamental difference is that PATW is more about presentation skills than it is about technology. It's proven to be quite a successful way of engaging younger members and keeping them involved in the IET. The competitive element introduces incentives and some excellent rewards for the winner.


I think what you're proposing is a similar format, but with a focus on technology and being inclusive for members in a local area; an opportunity for IET members to get together and showcase their work and learn about others in a fairly informal and relaxed environment. I guess the overlap is being able to capture potentially complex ideas in a very simple way and presenting to an audience who'd like to know what else is happening outside of their immediate expertise. Hopefully I'm not misrepresenting you!


Have have been in touch with your LN and proposed it to them?


PS - it's not true to imply that the IET isn't interested in why members are not happy. There's an annual member satisfaction survey and we do examine post-event feedback reports. We can only go by the information we have, and we are active in asking for it.

Hi James Shaw‍ 


Like David I also like the idea.  Kind of like a 'Bite-sized Engineering' event where multiple speakers talk for a shorter amount of time rather than one speaker for the whole hour or so. 


It would be an interesting new event concept for one of our Communities to trial. 


As for feedback on why people don't attend events, again as David says, we do regularly ask for feedback in this area and the top answer is usually, "Too busy, don't have the time" which could also be interpreted as "The subject doesn't interest me enough to make the time to attend". Many of our Local and Technical Communities regularly survey the members in their area/interest to determine which subjects and style of events and activities the members would like to see. However, they themselves don't get a lot of feedback when asking these questions either... 


Lisa

David,


Yes, your third paragraph has got it exactly right. A plea for a bit of amateurism even, in the sense of presentational skills. In a friendly environment no-one, be they presenter or audience, should suffer much if the format is kept short and there is a mixture of topics. Primarily I had in mind presentations from outside the PATW demographic but there is no reason why they can't join in too then perhaps move on to being a PATW competitor.


I haven't raised the idea with my LN, one that I share with Maurice, partly because I suspect, like Maurice, that our local membership support isn't broad enough to put this idea into practice. That doesn't stop others trying it out! Perhaps the IET could give some of the stronger networks a prod?

The Functional Safety TPN tried this a few years ago at their Annual Open Meeting - each committee member gave a 10 minute talk on what they were working on.  Unfortunatley the uptake to attend was not great, but maybe as a more focused technical event aimed at that audience it might work.  Or would it be better to look at podcasts or short videos covering different areas for everyone to view online.

Lynsay,

Making presentations to a specialist group as you describe has overtones of compulsion and 'team building' that some would run away from. I'm really trying to encourage a spirit of opting in, that is why my emphasis is on short, non-competitive and less formal rule-bound presentations.


I am also trying to get away from the 'must be new' or 'cutting edge' theme - that is well established in our existing event programmes. Personally I think there is a lot to be learnt from old techniques, we talk about 'lessons learnt' a lot but all too often that just means patching up what we did wrong this time. How about really learning from the past?


As an example I saw a 1930's film last week in which the eyes of a car driver were replaced by lamps and by turning them on and off it was possible to see on an external screen where a real driver should be able to see. Now that is an interesting reversal of reality, the light normally goes the other way! It reminded me of a computer game that I programmed back in the 'kilo-byte' days when characters only moved orthogonally in 2-D. Hidden rhinos were supposed to charge at the player if in line of sight but it was easier to reverse the logic, was there a rhino, hidden or not, in the four lines of sight of the player? These are both examples of literally looking at the problem with another point of view! Good modern management theory?


Linking these presentations to something like an AGM as you describe might be needed. Perhaps some sort of exhibition? A quick thought: Rather than your TPN members doing a talk, how about a display board each with the member on hand to answer questions?


Your idea of short videos or podcasts might be worth building on. My first thought was that it could be used for the 'new/cutting edge', (do we still have 'Electronic Letters' and the like, short papers?). But there is no reason why it can't be used to follow up my original idea. There would need to be some organisation though, a place to publish and a publisher. Certainly some guidance on 'how to' and maybe someone to 'top and tail' what has been submitted?


Actually, looking at 'the buttons' on this message form maybe these discussions could carry 'richer' content? At the very least though there would need to be a forum topic for this purpose, (more than one if we went the 'letters' route?).

As David says, PATW is to a formula aimed at encouraging youngsters to speak in public, not a knowledge sharing exercise about technology, as such.


However, short talks about technology do work in some cirucmsctances.  How about a TED Talks model - speakers speak for < 18minutes?


All new technciques to pull in members and non-members are worth a try - but must be done properly so as not to abandon a good idea before it is soundly tested.


Good luck

Barry,


I hope that I have made it quite clear that it is the format of PATW that I would like to copy, i.e. several short presentations in one session. In fact that is about it - no time limits, no judging, and 'technology' in its widest sense.


Just as there (used to be?) is a latent 'engine driver' in each of us perhaps we have some latent presenters too!


I'm struggling with 'doing things properly' and 'soundly tested', where do we do the experiments? TED talks sounds a bit 'prestige' and high profile to me, I've got in mind more 'lean and local'! Of course it would be fantastic if the IET was hosting high quality, inspirational content too!


What you say, (and Lynsay too), suggests that there are a lot of other directions that could be developed too. That gets us into questions as to what the IET should be doing and how it does it.  No doubt these aspects are rightly being discussed elsewhere.


While the responses to this topic have been quite encouraging from 'the centre', are there no local networks prepared to give it a go? Our LN seems to do best when it offers free pizzas, is that the answer? "Presentation n' Pizza"?

James - I'll bring this thread to the attention of colleagues who have more direct contact with LNs. We can't (and don't want to!) make them do it, but we can certainly encourage LNs to try it. I'd certainly attend an event with this format.

David,

Thank you.

I'm certainly not one for compulsion, I've attended far too many "let's go around the circle and introduce ourselves" sessions for that!