Avatar photoSteven Savage

Weekly Challenge: The Next Step?

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I want you to speculate on your success.

Really, sit down now and outline an image of success for one of your projects or jobs.  What is that perfect job, ideal game release, fantastic costly, etc.  Pick something and describe it to yourself.

Mull it over.  Feel it.  Enjoy it.

Now . . . what happens next?

What happens when that Tripe-A game ships?  That novel comes out?  What happens when you get that ideal job with that ideal company?

What's your step after that?

We often focus so much on success we miss that past the milestone is the rest of our lives.

So take a moment to look at what happens when you reap your rewards – and find out what's next.  You may be surprised at what you have planned – or what gaps you face.

For that matter, how far out do your plans go?

– Steven Savage

Convention Idea: A Range of Talent

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The roundup of Pro Fan Panel Ideas is here.

When you select a panel of people for your profane panels, workshops, etc. one of the questions that you'll face is what level of experience do you want.  Do you want an experienced pro – with the risk that others may not even understand them?  Do you want a newer pro – with the risk they don't know enough?  Do you want a student on their way there – but of course they have less credibility?

Let me toss out an idea for profan panels: provide a range of experience when appropriate.

Put an old salt, a new careerist, and a student on the same panel – or some other range of skill and experience.  Let them talk together, fight it out, or cover different areas of knowledge.  Either way, try a range.

Why?

  • It lets you give a variety of views.
  • It lets you give a variety of experiences relevant to people.  The new student may not be experienced but they know what current students are facing now.  The old hand may not get what it's like to start out today, but they know what current professionals are facing.
  • It gives you great cross-fertilization of ideas.  People of different levels of experience can put their minds together and come up with great panel ideas and sessions with less groupthink.
  • It also lets you spread or reuse panel resources.

So don't just focus on one experience level in your profan panels – go for a wide selection at once!

– Steven Savage