This year, we are taking a more mindful approach to supporting our attendees at Agile2024 who either align more on the introverted side, get overstimulated when the lights or sounds become too much, or just plain get overwhelmed in the midst of a five-day conference.
There are four ways we are supporting these humans at Agile2024:
Quiet Zone
First up, Quiet Zone! We’ve designated a room with some soft seating, dim lights, and zero talking for attendees who need a break from the hustle and bustle. You can also find pairs of earplugs to help silence distractions and take them away from this room.
Observer Tables
Second, Observer Tables! Each room will have a designated table or seats for participants who would prefer not to be engaged in activities or conversations.
Stoplight Dots
Third, Stoplight Dots! We will introduce and explain this more during the opening session, but there will be red/yellow/green dots on each table for folks to put on their lanyards. These will give participants a quick way to indicate how they would prefer to be engaged with.
- Green = Anyone and everyone can come on up, and I’ll bring you right into the conversation!
- Yellow = I’m happy to be part of a conversation, but I’m not likely to initiate or heavily engage.
- Red = Please don’t just come up to me and start talking if I’m a stranger. That will make me really uncomfortable. Please understand if I don’t engage.
We will have these ready for distribution in the opening session, and will also have them around if your stoplight color changes throughout the week.
Engagement Paths
Last but not least: the Engagement Paths. We have heard that while a number of our attendees love interactive sessions and workshops, there are just as many who don’t. The words, “Turn to your neighbor and discuss xyz,” are quite possibly the worst nightmare for some.
We’ve combed through and broken down each session so you can choose your own adventure.
You can see the full list of sessions on this spreadsheet: Agile2024 Engagement Paths. Look for the “Less Interactive Sessions” column to find the + signs. The + signs in that column indicate sessions that are slated to be less interactive.
In fact, each session has an “Engagement Style,” so you can make your own decisions on what you are or aren’t up for!
Everyone should reserve some energy from Monday and Tuesday so they can enjoy the unconference format (Extreme Open Space) on Wednesday.
That’s all, folks! See you in Grapevine!
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