The New Communicators is a three-day series of events exploring the ways we communicate with each other.

Events are created by anyone and anyone can attend. It is an open forum for discussion, education and inspiration.

This year, let's explore the concept of Reciprocity.

How to Participate

Participation in The New Communicators is simple: Attend an event or organize one. Why would you want to do either of those? Good question.

The easiest form of participation: Attendance.

The intent of this series of events is that anyone interested in the subject matter should feel welcome to attend any event. The goal is to not directly target any predetermined industry, community or audience. If the topic of an event interests you, show up and join the discussion, or simply speak with your presence.

Slightly harder form of participation: Organize an event

We know organizing things and public speaking can be daunting. It freaks us out too. BUT, You can do it! You wouldn’t be on this page if you weren’t considering it, right? Just keep in mind, this isn’t a TED conference or SXSW. It’s a local event with people from our community just like you. Here are some suggestions on how to proceed.

1. Decide on a topic

The New Communicators is about exploring the ways we communicate and this year we’re focusing on the concept of Reciprocation. So, a good first step is to choose a fitting topic that means something to you. Like what? Well, what do you care about…

  • Are you fighting for a cause and have found new ways to propagate your message?
  • Are you a local business owner with unique ways of connecting with your audience?
  • Are you an artist that has found new and interesting ways to include or engage audiences with your work?
  • Do you have ideas about how to use current and upcoming technologies to better communicate and share with others?
  • Does digital communication and social media confound you, causing you to fear for the future of society?

Just remember, inspiration can come from anywhere. You may not think what you’re doing is interesting, relevant or even ‘correct’, but it could turn out to be just the thing another person needs to hear to propel their thinking. Or you may find someone attending your event has the perfect nugget of knowledge that could propel your thinking beyond where you would have reached on your own. Isn’t that a wonderful thing?

2. Devise an event format

Next thing to consider is the format of your event. The format will influence the way you explore your topic with your attendees. Last year, several event formats worked well:

  • Personal Presentation
    You have an idea, point-of-view, or technique to share and you realize you can’t keep it inside any longer.
  • Group Discussion
    You’ve been grappling with a topic and you just want to let it loose and discuss it with others in an open, constructive atmosphere.
  • Panel Discussion
    Some people you know are doing interesting things and you want to bring them together, ask them questions and discuss it with a group. Maybe you lead the discussion. Maybe you’re on the panel. Maybe both.
  • A Happening or Experiment
    What would happen if…? Imagine if we…? How come no one ever…? I’ve always thought about doing… Don’t worry, you’re among friends. Try something new. Give it a shot. What’s the worst that could happen?

3. Find a place to hold your event

Ok. Everything is coming together now. You’ve got a topic and an idea of how to explore it. Now you need to hold the event somewhere. Last year, people held events in coffee shops, at schools, in offices. Really, anywhere conducive to discussion will work.

We’ve scheduled September 15th, 16th and 17th as days to hold your event, with a variety of time slots. The times we suggest are 8:00 – 10:00am, 4:00 – 6:00pm and 7:00 – 9:00pm, but don’t feel limited by this…whatever time works for you. As far as where to have your event, if you have someplace already in mind to have your event, go right ahead and have it there. If you don’t, there are a number of places offering their space for you to hold your event. You’ll need to contact them to work out the details.

There are no stipulations on admission costs for events. If you want to charge admission for your event and you think people will pay for it (and the venue you’re holding the event at is receptive to the idea of charging admission) go ahead and set a price. If you want it to be free, let it be free.

So once you’ve got your event idea, day, time, venue and price in mind, submit it.
We’ll be posting all events on thenewcommunicators.com as well on Upcoming for RSVPs, location details, etc. to draw attention and attendees to your event, but we definitely encourage you (as a New Communicator) to promote your own event in your own special way.

Why would you participate?

You may ask yourself, why would I do this? Why would I put myself and my ideas out there, open to scrutiny and potential failure? Yes, it’s dangerous. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, it’s experimental. Yes, it’s exciting. We think the gaining and sharing of knowledge and inspiration is a reward worthy of the risks. If you don’t take kindly to open and constructive face-to-face discussion with other humans, or exploring topics around the tools and methods we use to communicate with each other, then The New Communicators may not be for you. And that’s ok. However, if you are interested in those things, we welcome you to talk among friends.