The mission of UX Camp Amsterdam is to share knowledge, inspire and create new connections. The best way to achieve this is to get involved by running a session! We understand that this may sound daunting, scary and feel potentially embarrassing, but trust us it will be rewarding, fun, meaningful and engaging.

We are here to help you feel confident and prepared. If you have any questions, please get in contact..

You don’t have to be an expert to run a session, but you do have to be passionate about the topic. We have no professional presenters, only practitioners, many of them are first-time speakers and facilitators. You’ll be amongst friends and equals!

You should definitely consider running a session if you're driven by at least one of the following:

• You'd like to give back to the community you’ve probably learned a lot from.

• You want to connect with fellow UX’ers passionate about the same topic as you.

• You want to dig deeper, explore other perspectives on a topic you're passionate about.

• You have a desire to further explore your chosen subject; there’s nothing like talking about a topic to force yourself to think about it in more detail!

• You'd like to practice your public speaking or/and facilitation skills which are essential for our profession.

Tips to get you started

Interested in running a session? Here are some tips to help you get started.

Step 1. Choose a topic

If you wonder ‘What should I talk about?’, choose a topic you're passionate about. Remember, you don't have to be an expert!

If you wonder “Why would anybody be interested in what I have to say?”, often seeing different perspectives, hearing anecdotes and learning from others experiences is enough to start insightful discussions. This is what we are aiming for with UX Camp.

The audience are your peers and they choose which sessions to go to, they wouldn't be there if they weren't interested. If you get at least one person interested in the same topic and have a meaningful discussion with them, we consider it a success!

Step 2. Decide on your goal

Think about what you'd like your audience to take away from your session. When you finish preparing, review it - does it convey your message or get you closer to your goal?

Step 3. Choose a format & prepare

Knowing your topic and goal, should allow you to decide on the format. As one of UX Camp goals is creating new connections, we would like to ask you to think about more interactive formats.

If you'd like to learn more or explore other perspectives on the chosen topic, please consider running a discussion session. Here are a few types to consider:

• World cafe - if you expect there might be a lot of people facing the same issue or working on the same topic.

• Fishbowl - if you think there might be only a few experts among our audience.

• Birds of a feather - if you have no clue what to expect and are eager to take the risk ;)

Remember no matter what the session, you and your audience will get much more from a discussion session, if it is prepared, so, please take some time to think of questions you'd like to address.

If you feel comfortable about your chosen topic, please consider running a workshop or giving a talk with a couple of exercises for the audience.

If you decide to give a talk, start practicing it in front of people from its earliest possible conception to anyone who'll listen. You'll be amazed at how different it sounds out loud, rather than in your head.

Practicalities:

• A session takes 25 minutes. If you need more time please let us know, we can merge sessions.

• Different room layouts for different format.

• Screens in every room (HDMI connection).

• Please do not count on Wi-Fi during your presentation, it is slower than you expect.

Step 4. Ask for feedback

This is something what we always ask for in our everyday work. Why should it be different for UX Camp? Ask for the feedback or input. It might help you to deepen your knowledge on the topic, improve your skills or just get in touch with people who are passionate about the same things.

Think about what feedback would you like to have? what would be an easy way for your audience to share it with you?