In any Community Group, we’ve found the first 3 weeks are the most critical. The goal in these is clear - skim out the folks who’ll really deliver [usually 2-10 / group], and get them minimally onboared.
Session #1
- Do an introduction by nomination.
- Eg. Hi, my name’s Ammar … calling in from Toronto! I’m Head of Community here at Agg Intellect. I have a combo background in Data Science & Community Management. I’m interested in this group cause of … . So excited to be a part of this, and I’ll nominate ‘Leah’ to go next.
- Then Leah does the same, nominates someone else … so on.
- If get stuck, the lead can just nominate someone.
- The goal of this is to get a feel of folks backgrounds & motivations. Most leads are often surprised by the kind of people attracted!
- Go over your landing page, unpack for everyone & ensure:
- Everyone has it bookmarked.
- Everyone is on the Slack channel [if can’t join, tell them to email ammar@ai.science]
- Everyone knows that end of session #2 ‘Core Team / Competition Applications’ begin & those admitted in will be announced session #3. [ie. So they show energy early!]
- Skim your solution architecture & starting Recipes
- Tell folks to cover as much as they can by session #2.
- Ask any questions on Slack.
- Here, encourage progress towards a base model vs understanding everything immediately. Quick wins matter a lot for motivation!
- Just have some time for general Q/A.
Session #2
- Start off by asking by nomination about progress:
- The folks who’ve made more progress are the ones you probably want to prioritize for the Core Team / Competition.
- By nomination meaning:
- Ok folks, let’s go around & discuss progress & bottleneck. Umm .. ‘Jiri’, want to go first?
- … Jiri updates … can turn into a conversation
- … Once feel like talked enough … ok Jiri, wanna nominate someone else …
- Close session by announcing Core Team / Competition Applications.
- The application form should be on your landing page.
- We recommend giving folks until 1-day before session #3 to apply.
- And that you mention you’ll announce by end of session #3 based on application + energy shown in first 3 sessions [PS. Encourage folks to prepare well for that session]
Session #3
- Have a general progress update … who learnt what. [Possibly by nomination again]
- Around this point, the group should be turning into more a conversation. From here, we’ve found its best to let leads just feel their way.
- By the end of the session, based on performance & application details … pick your Core Team / Competition entrants.
Session #4+
- Feel you way from here.
- The once useful rule of thumb is to regularly ask everyone about their wins & failures each week.
Enjoy ^_^
Before Final Session:
- Coordinate with ‘Ammar Khan’ on the AISC Slack to mention you’re concluding so he can properly prepare some due spotlighting.