Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- teams [2021/06/03 16:24]
marie
+++ teams [2021/10/01 10:06] (current)
marie [Talk about Money expectations]
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-//Note: this section was originally called "AMBASSADORS / TEAM / VOLUNTEERS"
+====== TEAMS ======
-//====== TEAMS ======
+Game exhibitions are a lot of work. There’s the normal exhibition work of curation, setup, ticketing, security, communication, budgeting, promotions and administration. But game exhibitions need extra support: people get confused about how to play, software freezes or crashes, the internet goes down, alt controllers are mysteriously broken, people share germs through controllers and VR headsets, people will even quit games to check their social media on gallery computers.
-You've done it! You have a clear artistic vision, you have a collection of incredible games, you have a venue, you even have a few sponsors. Now what you need is a team.
+Unless your exhibition is just you sharing videogames from your couch, you're going to need help. Anyway, it's more fun working together.
+===== How to find volunteers or paid helpers=====
+.  **Put out an open call.** Share your vision, the available work, and any details about duration and money. Use visuals and lead back to a short form.
+.  **Send your call directly to people you'd love to work with.** It's scary, but it's worth it.
+.  **Look for help in the right places.** Consider where you might find your ideal helpers. Try videogame festivals, web art communities, relevant university departments, digital art galleries, and arcades, and ask for their help to post a poster, share a social media post, or send out a call in their newsletter.
+.  **Choose your team carefully.** It's better to invest in a small group of enthusiastic helpers than to train hundreds of unreliable people. Your team will shape the experience of every visitor to your exhibition. If your curatorial team is diverse, your exhibition will reflect that diversity. If anyone on your team is abusive or toxic, that rot will eat away at your team and be reflected everywhere, including on the exhibition floor.
-Game exhibitions need more support than other exhibitions: people get confused about how to play, people use the computers to check their social media, software freezes or crashes, the internet goes down, custom controllers break, and people share germs and STIs through controllers and VR headsets.
+===== Make a plan for training new helpers=====
-Unless your exhibition is just you sharing videogames from your couch, you're going to need to find some help.
+Don't let the glorious new energy fizzle away. Make a plan for how you will welcome and train new helpers. For example:
-## Finding volunteers or paid helpers
+.  After a helper reaches out, meet them quickly while energy is high.
+.  Warmly welcome them, tell them about the community and expectations. Learn about their motivations and skills and assign them an easy task with a short deadline. For example: write a 2 sentence description about a game by Monday.
+.  A few days later do a punctual check-in: how are they doing? If the first task is complete, thank them and get their feedback before assigning another task.
+.  Cycle through a few small tasks with the new helper, escalating in autonomy and difficulty. If the helper has misestimated their capacity, it’s best to know quickly. If all goes well, they easily become integrated with the team.
+===== Know why you need help=====
-. **Put out an open call.** Be specific about your vision, about the work, the duration and money. Use visuals and lead back to a short form.
+Why do you want helpers? Do you need specific labour and skills? Or are you interested in the excitement, diverse skills, and community growth that can come with a team? What do you need help with?
-. **Send your call directly to people you'd love to work with.** It's scary, but it's worth it. How can people help you if they don't know you need help?
-. **Look for help in the right places.** Consider where you might find your ideal helpers. Reach out to videogame festivals, web art communities, relevant university departments, digital art galleries, and arcades, and ask for their advice and help to spread the call. Many communities will be happy to post a poster, share a social media post, or send out a call in their newsletter.
-. **Keep it tight.** It's often better to invest in a small handful of enthusiastic people than to train hundreds of unreliable and uninvested people.
-. **Choose your team carefully.** Your team will shape the experience of every visitor to your exhibition. If your curatorial team is diverse, your exhibition will reflect that diversity. If anyone on your team is abusive or toxic, that rot will eat away at your team and undermine all your hard work.
-## Have a timeline for new helpers
+At A MAZE. Berlin, some of the many tasks we needed help with were: submissions, curation, exhibition design, exhibition construction, signage, promotion, communications, media relations, administration, logistics, computer setup, internet setup, delivery, ticketing, exhibition floor (explaining how to play, assisting people, and fixing broken games), food/drink, sanitizing controllers, security, cleaning, and tear down.
-Don't let all that glorious new energy fizzle away. New relationships are delicate. Make a plan for how you will interact with your new team members. The training should feel welcoming, personal, and well organized.
+===== Take time to understand motivations and skills=====
+When you understand the skills and motivations of an individual helper, it's easy to see what tasks are a good or bad fit. For example, it takes a certain type of personality to continue to be polite and enthusiastic after asking the hundredth person to keep their sticky drink off a computer.
+Some of the top motivators for volunteers include community, friendship, interest in the cause, skill development, empowerment, money, opportunities for creativity, prestige, and access to resources. Ask your helpers what motivates them and pay attention to what moves them.
-Have a plan. For example:
+===== Be mindful about how the work is being done=====
-. Potential helper fills in a very short "helper" form.
+In every gathering or work session, make space for people to connect in a personal and delightful way. Find excuses to celebrate the work your team is doing. Invite private feedback to avoid the slow festering of unsurfaced conflict.
-. Meet them quickly while energy is still high,
-. Give them a warm welcome, tell them about the community, vision, expectations. Learn about their interests, motivations, and expectations and assign them an easy task with a short deadline. *For example, write a 2 sentence description about a game by Monday.*
-. A few days later do a punctual check-in: how are they doing? Do they have any questions? If the first task is complete, jump into immediate thanks, celebration, and get their feedback before assigning another task. If they have no questions and they don't seem interested or have actively disappeared, move on.
-. Cycle through a few small tasks with the new helper, being very mindful to answer questions quickly. Tasks should immediately begin to escalate in terms of autonomy and difficulty. If the helper has misestimated their capacity or interest, it’s best to know quickly. If all goes well, they easily become integrated with the team.
-## What do you need help with?
-Working at A MAZE. Berlin, here are some of the many things we needed help with: playing submissions, curation, exhibition design, exhibition construction, signage, promotion, communications, media relations, administration, logistics, computer set up, internet setup, drivers, ticketing, exhibition floor (explaining how to play, assisting people in VR, and fixing broken games), food/drink sales, cleaning, sanitizing, and security,
-Consider why you want helpers. Is it simply that you need specific labour and skills? Or are you interested in the diversity of expression? Or the excitement, enthusiasm, and community growth that can come with a team?
+Invest time in making the working environment positive and supportive. This includes you! If you notice that the work starts to feel arduous, communicate and immediately scale back.
+===== Talk openly about expectations=====
+==== Talk about money expectations====
-## Take time to understand motivations
+Until there is a major change in our economic structure, we are often dealing with volunteers and underpaid helpers in the arts. Communicate openly about money, especially if some people are paid and others are not. There is an important difference between interacting with unionized staff, contract workers, and volunteers that can't be glossed over.
+====Talk about community expectations====
+Set clear expectations around what helpers can expect from you and the broader community. For example, we will:
-When working with helpers you have two choices: forcefully micromanage people into doing things, or understand their motivations and meet them in the way they need.
+.  Only do work that matches our shared vision and goals.
+.  Speak our vision clearly so helpers can see each task in the larger context.
+.  Match helpers to work that most closely meets personal skills and interests.
+.  Define tasks clearly, provide training, communicate expectations.
+.  Support people when they ask for help (within capacity).
+.  Celebrate all work.
+.  Take feedback seriously and make changes when the community agrees.
+.  Say no to growth when we are low on energy or time.
+.  Continuously work towards a stronger, safer, and more accessible community.
+.  Make space for people to grow and/or step back when needed
+====Talk about individual helpers expectations====
+Set clear expectations around what is expected from each helper. For example, we expect that each helper:
-Here are some of the top motivators for volunteers and helpers: community,  friendship, interest in the cause, skill development, empowerment, money, opportunities for creativity, prestige, and access to resources. Ask your helpers what motivates them and pay attention to what moves them.
+.  Is aware of the space they occupy and mindful of the way their actions shape the community and exhibition.
+.  Communicates needs and desires as clearly as possible.
+.  Invests in their own training.
+.  Only signs on for the work they can do.
+.  Ask for help when they need it.
+.  Communicates right away when they can’t meet commitments.
+.  Communicates when something isn’t working (anonymously if needed).
+=====Who is helping who?=====
-## Talk openly about expectations
+Consider organizing your exhibition or community so that everyone is a helper. The model where one charismatic artist or curator is supported by hundreds of uncredited and undervalued underlings is hopefully dying out.
- **Talk about Money:**
-Until there is a major change in our economic structure, we are often dealing with volunteers and underpaid people in the arts. Communicate openly about money, especially if some people are paid and others are not.
-**Talk about what you expect and what people can expect from you**
-For example, *you might promise to:*
-. Only do work together that matches our shared vision and goals.
-. Speak our vision clearly so people can see each task in the larger context.
-. Match people to the work that most closely meets personal skills and interests.
-. Define tasks clearly, provide training, communicate expectations.
-. Support people when they ask for help (within capacity).
-. Acknowledge and celebrate all work.
-. Take all feedback seriously and make changes when the community agrees.
-. Say no to growth when we are low on energy or time.
-. Continuously work towards a stronger, safer, and more accessible community.
-. Make space for people to grow and/or step back when needed
-*A helper might promise to:*
-. Be aware of the space you occupy and mindful of the way your energy and actions shape the team, community, and feeling of the exhibition.
-. Communicate your needs and desires as clearly as you can.
-. Invest in your own training: take time to understand the community.
-. Only sign on for the work you can do.
-. Ask for help when you need it.
-. Communicate right away when you can’t meet your commitments.
-. Communicate when something isn’t working (anonymous if needed).
-## Be mindful about *how* the work is being done**
-Invest time in making the working environment positive and supportive. This includes you, be thoughtful about your own state of mind. If you notice that the work starts to feel heavy and arduous, let your team know, then scale back.
-Communication is everything. In every meeting, gathering, and work session, make space for people to connect in a personal and delightful way. Find every excuse to celebrate the work your team is doing. Make time for anonymous and private feedback to avoid the slow festering of unspoken conflict.
-## Match helpers to tasks
-Tasks should match a helper's motivations, interests, and capacity. For example, it takes a certain type of personality to continue to be polite and enthusiastic after asking your hundredth person to keep their sticky drink off a computer.
-Helpers sit between the creators and the public, and it takes specific personality types and volunteers often serve as an interface between creators and the public (in a very wide sense). Maybe we could add something about how to behave/interact with both too? Bad management can be stressful but interacting all day with a frustrated crowd, or with a not well mannered “artist” can also be a challenge.
-For each task, it's helpful to provide: a reason for doing the task relative to the big picture; recognition of the helper and their value; clear instructions, training and tools; a reasonable timeline; and a safe and friendly working environment. It's also important to make space for feedback when the task is finished as well as appreciation and rewards that match the motivations of the helper.
-## Letting people go
-When a helper is more work than help over a sustained period, it's time to let them go. Always talk to them when they are leaving, There are many reasons why a person might leave, and there's always something to learn. People can be at their most honest when they are leaving.
@@ Line 94: / Line 95: @@
 Add yourself if you edited something

Game Arts Curators Kit

User Tools

Site Tools

Differences

Page Tools