So, what are you going to pitch?
A handy guide to coming up with a session idea
© Andy Catlin www.andycatlin.com
You’ve signed up for GovCamp Scotland and were allocated a ticket via the ballot. Excellent.
You’ve checked the date and you’ve found out how to get to the venue.
There’s just one final detail and it might be making you a wee bit nervous: “What to pitch?”
How session pitches work
GovCamp Scotland is an unconference, so the participants build the agenda together on the day. At the start of the day, there will be a set time for as many attendees as possible to pitch a session topic, then everyone votes on the topics they want to discuss. A session topic could be a discussion, a show-and-tell, a problem-solving session, a bit of collective head-scratching, a book review – you get the idea.
Luckily for us working in public services gives us no shortage of things to discuss, but how to translate that into a pitch idea?
Start with what’s bugging you
Maybe there’s a public service process you’d like to change, or an issue that keeps getting in your way.
Maybe there’s something that keeps popping into your head but you can’t find a way forward.
Or a conversation you’re already having with colleagues but you’d like to validate ideas with other like-minded people in the know.
Ask yourself:
What challenge am I curious about?
What experience could I share?
What collaboration opportunity should we explore?
What BIG question needs a conversation, not just an answer?
If it helps to organise your thoughts, you can download or print our worksheet to help you to explore these questions and develop your session idea.
You don't need to be an expert
You can pitch a session just because you're curious about it. All you need is a question, a challenge or an interesting idea.
· “What does good community engagement actually look like?”
· “What have you stopped doing - and why?”
· “What’s one thing your team does brilliantly that others should steal?”
Don't underestimate the tiny idea
Sometimes the most useful sessions are the ones where we talk about the small things.
To get some inspiration right now you can look through the sessions from last year. A number of these topics grouped 2 or 3 people’s ideas together into one bigger session - so if you think your idea is too small to matter, it may be that your idea is just waiting for another idea to come along and make it really zing.
Don’t overthink it
Your pitch can be gloriously simple. No corporate waffle required. No need to give it a title that sounds like a government strategy document.
Just tell people what you want to explore and why you think it could be interesting.
Pitch the conversation, not the presentation
You won’t need to bring any slides with you. At an unconference, you’re not saying: “Come and listen to me talk for an hour.”, rather “Come and explore this with me.”.
If you've got a burning question, pitch the question.
If you've got an experiment, pitch the experiment.
If you've got a story, pitch the story.
If you've got a slightly bonkers idea that might work, bring that too.
The room will help shape what happens next.
Pick one.
Congratulations. You've got a pitch.
Be brave enough to pitch the thing
The best unconference sessions always begin with someone taking a small risk and putting their hand up. So, if you're hovering at the back of the room wondering whether your idea is good enough, here's your permission slip:
Pitch it!
The worst that happens it that other pitches are voted in and made into a session. But that doesn’t mean you won’t get to discuss your topic with others on breaks or afterwards while having a post-event drink or two. The much more likely outcome is that a few people do — and suddenly you're having a conversation you wouldn't have had otherwise.
What if someone else pitches your idea?
Great! You've found a topic people are interested in. Join the session. Add your experience. Have the conversation.
What if only a few people show up?
That's okay too. Sometimes a small group session creates the most meaningful conversation. Sometimes a session that feels niche turns out to attract lots of interest because others have been thinking about the same thing.
Forget being “pitch perfect”
That's the magic of an unconference - you don't need to arrive with all the answers. You just need to bring your curiosity, your experience, your questions and perhaps a wee bit of courage. We’ll figure the rest out together.
So, what are you going to pitch?
Print or download our worksheet to help you think through your ideas, make some notes and come up with a pitch.
