Have fun with a Goat Market problem
During the day on Monday, write on your card a problem/question that you would like help in answering. Find a peer and sit together. A peer can be anyone you like, or dislike, or trust, are suspicious about, or don’t even know yet. Friend or foe—doesn’t matter. Just someone who is smart.
At your table, spend 5 minutes explaining your problem/question to one peer. As the peer, respond with a solution for another 5 minutes. Then, switch roles. Both of you get one question and one answer in 20 minutes. But you have to think and talk fast. We’ll time it for you.
At the first bell after 20 minutes, switch tables, find a different peer, and repeat.
At the second bell after 20 minutes, again switch tables, find a different peer, and repeat.
By the end, you will get three different responses to your question from three different peers. You’ll have three pieces of fantastic (or really dumb) solutions that you can take home with you.
We will spend the last 10 minutes or so comparing notes and finding out what you learned from the Goat Market. Then we’re off to the Salsa Competition.
Meet the Presenter
JoAnn Hackos is President of Comtech Services, Inc. and Director of the Center for Information-Development Management (CIDM) For more than 30 years, Dr. Hackos has addressed audiences internationally on subjects ranging from content management, project management, effective interfaces and information, minimal information products, usability testing, and online and Web-based information, to managing the information design and development process. She authored Information Development: Managing Your Documentation Projects, Portfolio and People (Wiley 2006), Content Management for Dynamic Web Delivery (Wiley 2002), Managing Your Documentation Projects (Wiley 1994), Standards for Online Communication (Wiley 1997), User and Task Analysis for Interface Design (Wiley 1998), and Introduction to DITA (2011). JoAnn is a Fellow and Past President of the International Society for Technical Communication (STC).