BCWS/spreker/EN

Language:	Nederlands

Together with Blockchain Workspace A-lab runs Blockchain-lab in Amsterdam. That's where several publicly accessible meetups take place too. To which we invite external speakers.

Tips for engagement with audience

The following request for guest speakers on meetups at Blockchain Workspace.

1. If you use sheets then please no more than maximum of 6 or 7 briefly addressed bullet points per sheet (no text blocks please)
2. Do not read the content on the sheet aloud (people can read it), create presenter notes and speak out some complementary text.
3. Practise the presentation so you stay within time limits and you feel more comfortable once live.

Speaker Quality Assurance

This list is open source CC by SA Blockchain Workspace. So if you use it, accredit BCWS for it, please.

Background

It is your take whether you impose this on your speakers. But as far as I know, it is a very persistent phenomenon : speakers that do not prepare as promis they are too nervous to stick to the plan and/or they lie and cheat (mostly an open - or hidden ICO agenda).

Meet the ICO greed

Who hasn't met the typical ICO-greeder: selling crap, no in depth answers, no attention for the next speaker? After his performance he walks out without even looking at anyone else or saying goodbye to the organisers. "Elvis has left the building" he must have thought, "What an important man I am."

This how we cope with it.
Let's get it over with!

A meetup organiser has to be very strict with speakers. Even if - or especially when - speakers are sponsors of an event. Organisers must screen and brief speakers by handing over a set of questions any speaker that represents an ICO directly or indirectly has to answer in front of the full audience within 15 minutes from the start. And no beating around the bush.

At least these questions:

- Is your project fully open source, not patented

- Will you ever try to patent parts of it?

- Who are your competing projects in this field?

- What is the actual need for a new token / currency in this idea, why don't you use an existing blockchain and THEIR token that is already in place.

- Why don't you use a database? What kind of trust are you trying to relay in your solution?

- How is the key management of the incoming cryptocurrency established, who's in control of the funds received?

- How are you going to share profit on the higher rate of the received funds?

- How are you going to prevent funds to evaporate?

- What is the return on investment for people that buy your token?

- How do you comply with (self-) regulation alike an IPO?

Evaluate the answer openly

If they answer these questions convincingly, they can take the next step in the presentation. If they beat around the bush or sell crap we will be confronting them will a repetition of these kind of questions. No way we let them sell an ICO or their greatness.

Use a tool like Mentimeter.com to ask the audience How on a scale from one to ten did the speaker convince you that the project he is pitching:

fully open source, not patented and will never be

that there is a true need of a new token and we can't use any other - already existing - coin to do the job

the management of funds is organised and controlled

How regulations and laws are met

The Return On Investment in this project, what can people expect as a return for their risky invested dollar / euro?

Competence of a speaker

Your meetup is about (public) blockchains and crypto currencies right? Well then have competent speakers!

If s speaker are not able to answer questions: they have to bring in specialists that are able to give answer; for example a technical specialist in their product to answer detailed questions about the real inner working (so they can't get away with "I am not a technician, but....")

The letter

SO NOW MY LETTER to speakers that we've used at BCWS meetups (no ICO's allowed anymore)

Let me know when we can discuss this.

" Dear ...,

At our free meetups, there are NO business introductions allowed and NO personal introduction either, that exceed 20 seconds!.

Why only 20 sec - 1 sheet? Because visitor come to hear your story and learn from that. They are interested in themselves, not in you nor in your company. So please do not make this mistake that many make every day: talking about themselves or their firms WE ARE VERY STRICT ABOUT THIS: 20 sec max.

For example: "Hi, my name is Henk van Cann from Blockchain Workspace, we do fundamental blockchain education and trainer the teachers too, now I have a first question for you...." not even 20 seconds.

Other example somewhere middle: "So we see education is essential in this space

Too often we see people starting off at meetups; introducing themselves personally (CV slides, family, children etc.) and then take the visitors to the company they work for or founded. 5 to 10 min of a 20 min talk is no exception.

This approach is actually annoying for visitors:

it is about them and not about the speaker or his/hers firm

they want answers to their questions, not answers they didn't want to hear

people want value, immediately. What's in it for them?!

Put their own brain to work, so stick to the fundamentals

If you introduce customer use cases then don't elaborate on what you do and how, but explain the WHY: why do you it a certain way or why they want it this way for their case

So as a speaker at Permission-less Society Meetup try to ask yourself constantly:

A. What is the singular message I want to get across in 25 minutes? What have they learned to:

go and do

never should do again

never forget anymore

B. How do I deliver value to the audience immediately and constantly, so that the audience wants to know more about me and my firm AFTERWARDS, so that I can fully leave out my boring introduction at the beginning of my presentation.

To wrap it up: Permission-less Society meetups is no sales platform or 'look at me being great' stage. It's not about you, it's about you audience.

Best, "