Goal of the event - Content Preparation

The secret for a successful event is to have an event where you bring value to Mozilla while you also bring value to the participants that will attend/take part at your initiative. In that way you will have what is called an impactful event.

Step 1: the 3 simple questions

First questions to ask yourself when you’re coming up with an idea for an initiative/event

Example of a good event:

I have the idea to have a Rust event in my community. So I ask myself:

  • Is the event going to contribute to Mozilla’s 2017 goals? Which functional area?
    • Yes one of Mozilla’s goals is to grow the number of people contributing to Rust
  • Is the event going to contribute to Participation team’s goals?
    • Yes, one of Participation’s team goal is to support the Rust community
  • Is the event going to bring any value to the participants?
    • Yes, the participants will learn on how to contribute to a new language

Example of not such a good event:

A Rep approached me to have an event for Webmaker

  • Is the event going to contribute to Mozilla’s 2017 goals?
    • No Webmaker as a project is not relevant any more
  • Is the event going to contribute to Participation team’s goals?
    • There is nothing related to Participation team’s goals
  • Is the event going to bring any value to the participants?
    • While they might learn some cool stuff, most of the tools there are not maintained anymore.

TIP: What should happen if I realise that my idea or the Rep’s idea is not really good? Don’t be discouraged! Rather, revisit together Mozilla’s goals and find something that will help Mozilla’s goals and meet your interests.

Step 2: Define your goal

Once you have been able to answer the 3 first questions you need to define a goal for your event. Remember your goal must be clear and to the point.

For example:

  • Bring more contributors to Mozilla’s mission → this is not a good goal. While we need more contributors you don’t define in which project and what those contributors will do. By just introducing Mozilla and generally our mission you might find more supporters but you will need to focus on a specific topic (for example Rust or L10n) if you want people to contribute to the project in the future.
  • Bring more contributors to the Rust project → this is a goal to the point that will help Mozilla and a specific project grow

Step 3: Transform your goal to measurable metrics

It is important to comment that goals are different to metrics - Metrics are the tools we use to measure the success and that will be based on the objectives and strategy defined on the planning document. Metrics are quantitative in general, while Goals are qualitative by norm.

For example a good metrics on the Rust example might be:

  • Bring 3 new contributors to the Rust project

Important: Showcase how you’re measuring your metrics. On the Rust example, how do you know you brought 3 more contributors? Maybe you brought more, maybe you brought less. So once you’ve set a metric also have a way to measure it.

Pro tip: Don’t try to over estimate once you’ve set your metrics. Try to be practical and use your experience on what logical metrics are. Remember, the goal is to have a qualitative impactful initiative, so don’t focus on dazzling the numbers.

Step 4: Create and coordinate the content

For a successful initiative you will need an up to date content that is going to be interesting to your audience.

Think of the following questions:

  • Do I have all the Resources I need? Are all the guides available to the participants? Will I need to create slides? Is my content up to date based on the latest news on my subject?
  • Is my subject attractive to my audience? Even for the same subject you might need to update your approach depending if you’re talking to highschool students or to open source enthusiasts at your local hackerspace
  • Do I have the right person to deliver my initiative? Remember not everybody can talk for everything so look at your local community for the right person.

Pro tip: You don’t know something? Ask around :) If you’re not sure about something, or if you’re not specialised on the subject your local Rep is going to talk to, ask your fellow Mozillians to learn more. In that way you will be able to give better advices to the Rep who is seeking your help and you will also learn something new.

Step 5: Building the agenda

As a Resources Rep you will need to build the agenda for your event or help building the agenda for the Rep that has asked your help.

Here are some tips for you:

  • Divide the time on time slots based on time available
  • Be reasonable: remind yourself that participants won’t be able to have a 10 hours event with no break, no matter how enthusiastic they are
  • Focus on your subject. While you want to have an introductory talk about Mozilla’s mission and volunteers in Mozilla, you don’t want to spend more than 30 minutes on this. Remember: participants are there to hear about a specific subject and you might be confusing them by trying to introduce every project in Mozilla.
  • Not all participants will have the same knowledge about the topics. Make sure to be inclusive, allow questions and give introductions to the topics where necessary.

Complete and Continue