Ask the speakers is a concept meant to break the barriers of classical learning sessions. It’s a moment when participants can have a direct conversation with the speakers of their choice, asking the questions they have, without the pressure of speaking up in front of the whole audience.
How does it work?
Each speaker has a certain, predefined place in the room and the participants are presented with the map of the set-up. During the 45 minutes allocated for this session, the participants can go to whichever speaker they prefer and ask them questions or have short conversations.
Depending on their preferences, participants can move from one speaker to another, visiting each one of the “Speakers’ Corners”; choose their preferred Speakers and split the available time among (for example) their top 3 options or, even spend the whole time in just one place. In addition to asking questions, they might find it interesting to also listen to the questions of the other fellow participants and the respective answers. The questions are not necessarily in direct connection to the topics of the session, but can cover any area from the Speaker’s expertise.
The main advantages, compared to the classical questions asked at the end of the session is the effectiveness and increased value: participants choose where to spend their time and have the freedom to move on whenever they choose, preventing them from being stuck listening to questions and answers which might not be of immediate interest. Furthermore, it relieves the pressure of speaking up in front of almost 200 other participants, which can be daunting for some people.
From our experience, both the speakers and the participants are enjoying the ‘Ask the Speakers’ session, so we are excited to see it again at the third edition of CppEurope, this February, in the heart of Bucharest.
Why we’re organizing CppEurope
Let me introduce myself. I’m Alex, CTO and senior trainer at Mozaic Works.
I learned C/C++ in college. I immediately loved the language. It wasn’t easy to learn, but the challenge was enjoyable. My first professional C++ project was in 2001. I was a programmer fresh out of college, passionate but with little knowledge about changeable design. By the end of the project, I realized my mistakes and decided to learn more.
Fortunately, my second C/C++ project was very different. I had a mentor who taught me how to write unit tests, how to design software, and how to write better C/C++ code – both cleaner and with better performance.
Fishbowl Conversation
A fishbowl conversation is a form of dialog that can be used when discussing topics within large groups. Fishbowl conversations are sometimes also used in participatory events such as unconferences. The advantage of fishbowl is that it allows the entire group to participate in a conversation. Several people can join the discussion.
How does it work?