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--- teams [2021/06/03 17:28]
marie
+++ teams [2021/10/01 10:06] (current)
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-//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.
-# Teams
-Game exhibitions are a lot of work. There’s the normal exhibition work including 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, people break controllers, and people share germs and STIs through controllers and VR headsets, visitors will even quit games to check their social media on gallery computers.
 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=====
-## 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.
-.  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. 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.
+.  **Send your call directly to people you'd love to work with.** It's scary, but it's worth it.
-.  Keep it tight and 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.
+.  **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.
-## Have a timeline for new helpers
+===== Make a plan for training new helpers=====
-Don't let all that glorious new energy fizzle away. Make a clear plan for how you will welcome and train new team members. For example:
+Don't let the glorious new energy fizzle away. Make a plan for how you will welcome and train new helpers. For example:
-.  Potential helper fills in a short "helper" form.
+.  After a helper reaches out, meet them quickly while energy is high.
-.  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.
-.  Give them a warm welcome, tell them about the community and expectations. Learn about their 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? If the first task is complete, thank them and get their feedback before assigning another task.
-.  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.
-.  Cycle through a few small tasks with the new helper. Tasks should begin to escalate in terms of 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.
+.  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=====
-## Know why you need help
+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?
-Why do you want helpers? Is it simply that you need specific labour and skills? Do you wish you could clone yourself? Or are you interested in the excitement, diverse skills, and community growth that can come with a team? What specifically do you need help with?
+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.
+===== 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.
-At A MAZE. Berlin, here are some of the many tasks we needed help with: 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, clearning, and tear down.
+===== Be mindful about how the work is being done=====
-## Take time to understand motivations
+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.
-When working with helpers you have two choices: forcefully micromanage people into doing things, or match helpers to tasks that meet their skills and motivations.
-Some of the top motivators for volunteers and helpers 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.
-When you understand the skills and motivations of an individual helper, it's easy to see what tasks are a good or bad fit in terms of motivations, interests, and capacity. 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.
-## Be mindful about how the work is being done**
-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.
 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====
-## Talk openly about expectations
+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====
-Talk about Money:
+Set clear expectations around what helpers can expect from you and the broader community. For example, we will:
-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. There is an important difference between interacting with unionized staff, contract workers, and volunteers that can't be glossed over.
-Talk about what you expect and what people can expect from you
-For example, you might promise to:
 .  Only do work that matches our shared vision and goals.
@@ Line 82: / Line 50: @@
 .  Speak our vision clearly so helpers can see each task in the larger context.
-.  Match people to work that most closely meets personal skills and interests.
+.  Match helpers to work that most closely meets personal skills and interests.
 .  Define tasks clearly, provide training, communicate expectations.
@@ Line 88: / Line 56: @@
 .  Support people when they ask for help (within capacity).
-.  Acknowledge and celebrate all work.
+.  Celebrate all work.
-.  Take all feedback seriously and make changes when the community agrees.
+.  Take feedback seriously and make changes when the community agrees.
 .  Say no to growth when we are low on energy or time.
@@ Line 98: / Line 66: @@
 .  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:
-A helper might promise to:
+.  Is aware of the space they occupy and mindful of the way their actions shape the community and exhibition.
-.  Be aware of the space you occupy and mindful of the way your actions shape the team, community, and feeling of the exhibition.
-.  Communicate your needs and desires as clearly as you can.
+.  Communicates needs and desires as clearly as possible.
-.  Invest in your own training.
+.  Invests in their own training.
-.  Only sign on for the work you can do.
+.  Only signs on for the work they can do.
-.  Ask for help when you need it.
+.  Ask for help when they need it.
-.  Communicate right away when you can’t meet your commitments.
+.  Communicates right away when they can’t meet commitments.
-.  Communicate when something isn’t working (anonymously if needed).
+.  Communicates when something isn’t working (anonymously if needed).
+=====Who is helping who?=====
+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.
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