Five lessons in community management | Ryuta Aoki | TEDxKobeSalon
-
0:17 - 0:18Hi everyone!
-
0:18 - 0:20(Applause)
-
0:20 - 0:21Welcome!
-
0:21 - 0:23(Applause)
-
0:23 - 0:26This is really great!
I see you all smiling. -
0:26 - 0:28I heard you from backstage.
-
0:28 - 0:30I feel a little shy and hesitant
giving this talk, -
0:31 - 0:32but today,
-
0:32 - 0:36I'm going to share things I've learned
from running TEDx community. -
0:37 - 0:39I have a question for you.
-
0:39 - 0:42Have any of you ever run a community?
-
0:43 - 0:46"Community management"
may sound a bit intimidating, -
0:46 - 0:49but how many of you have talked
with friends or acquaintances -
0:49 - 0:53to start something new together
and actually translated into action? -
0:55 - 0:56Oh, there are many of you.
-
0:56 - 0:59Perhaps, I don't need to give this talk.
-
0:59 - 1:00(Laughter)
-
1:00 - 1:04Upon running a community,
have you encountered problems like, -
1:04 - 1:07difficulty finding participants
-
1:07 - 1:11or getting people
to do the job you requested? -
1:12 - 1:14Yes? So have I.
-
1:15 - 1:17I was a programmer until 2009.
-
1:18 - 1:23I currently work in what is called
community design and management. -
1:23 - 1:26As I was "a geek,"
-
1:26 - 1:30managing a community did not come easy
since it involved people, -
1:30 - 1:31so I experienced some failures.
-
1:31 - 1:35Today, I'm going to share some lessons
I've learned along the way. -
1:36 - 1:39What is a community in the first place?
-
1:40 - 1:42Does anyone know?
-
1:42 - 1:47Simply put, it's a human connection,
and there are several types. -
1:48 - 1:53One is a relationship determined
by family and bloodline, -
1:53 - 1:55called "blood relation."
-
1:56 - 2:01Second is a relationship determined
by where you were born and raised. -
2:01 - 2:04This is called "territorial relationship,"
fostered in local communities. -
2:05 - 2:08Finally, there is a social relationship
-
2:08 - 2:11that is determined
by the organization you belong to. -
2:11 - 2:13In other words,
-
2:13 - 2:17it's a community that is bound
by a contractual relationship. -
2:18 - 2:22But the type of community
I want to address today is something else. -
2:22 - 2:24Before I get into it,
-
2:24 - 2:26there is one thing I would like you to do.
-
2:26 - 2:28Could everyone please stand up?
-
2:31 - 2:34Please pair up with the person
next to you whom you've never spoken to. -
2:34 - 2:37We're short on time, so be quick!
-
2:37 - 2:38(Laughter)
-
2:39 - 2:42Please share three
of your favorite things, -
2:42 - 2:45such as hobbies, activities,
books, or anything. -
2:46 - 2:48Are you ready? Go!
-
2:48 - 2:52(Audience Chatting) (Laughter)
-
3:11 - 3:15(Audience Chatting) (Laughter)
-
3:15 - 3:18May I? Are we done?
-
3:18 - 3:21Please be seated.
-
3:24 - 3:27Did any of you like the same activities
-
3:27 - 3:31or have common interests?
-
3:32 - 3:34Wow, there are more than I thought.
-
3:35 - 3:39The community I'm going to adress today
is formed by shared common interests. -
3:39 - 3:41It's a relationship
-
3:41 - 3:47that not only connects people
with common intellectual curiosity, -
3:47 - 3:50but also involves
a high degree of empathy. -
3:50 - 3:53This kind of community shares knowledge
-
3:53 - 3:57and sometimes acts together
driven by a common goal. -
3:58 - 4:01Members normally volunteer.
-
4:01 - 4:04The fundamental difference
from other communities -
4:04 - 4:07is that this community
has no sense of obligation. -
4:07 - 4:09How do you manage such a community?
-
4:10 - 4:12There are things
I've learned from my mistakes. -
4:13 - 4:16Today, I'm going to share five lessons
I've learned in community management. -
4:16 - 4:17First -
-
4:19 - 4:20oops -
-
4:22 - 4:25"Fun is a principle of human behavior."
-
4:25 - 4:29In 2009, I started working
with a community called TEDxTokyo, -
4:29 - 4:32but prior to this,
I never worked in a community. -
4:33 - 4:35So I had no idea what it would be like.
-
4:36 - 4:38One day, I attended a meeting.
-
4:38 - 4:40It was not at all what I had imagined.
-
4:40 - 4:43I thought it would be something like
-
4:43 - 4:46middle aged men wearing
formal suits sitting at a table -
4:46 - 4:48having serious discussions the whole time.
-
4:48 - 4:52Instead, we all met at a cafe
on the second floor of a concert venue -
4:52 - 4:53that's like a hideout.
-
4:53 - 4:57Attendees were not only Japanese
but also Americans, French, Indians. -
4:57 - 5:00There were designers, programmers,
consultants, marketers, etc. -
5:00 - 5:03People of many different nationalities
and professions gathered -
5:03 - 5:04and were just chatting away.
-
5:04 - 5:08They made all sorts of small talk
for about 40 minutes out of the one hour. -
5:09 - 5:11Despite the lack of time,
girls' talk lingered on. -
5:11 - 5:13"I have a crush on him."
-
5:13 - 5:14(Laughter)
-
5:14 - 5:17They touched on broad subjects,
including background of war. -
5:17 - 5:19There were a lot
of intellectual exchanges. -
5:19 - 5:20It got me really excited.
-
5:20 - 5:23That's when I felt, "This is so cool!"
-
5:23 - 5:27I had no idea that such an exciting
and eclectic community existed. -
5:27 - 5:29Through the TEDx activities,
-
5:29 - 5:32I started visiting other
communities as well. -
5:32 - 5:36Some communities were
as interesting as TEDx, -
5:36 - 5:39while others lacked
the excitement and vigor. -
5:39 - 5:43As I started to think why some
of the communities lacked the excitement, -
5:43 - 5:44I found a trend.
-
5:44 - 5:47There were fewer participants.
-
5:47 - 5:52I could tell by the look
on their faces that they were bored. -
5:52 - 5:56It was exactly what I had imagined
what "a community" would be like. -
5:56 - 6:00It's like having
an inconclusive meeting forever -
6:00 - 6:04in a fluorescent-lit office space.
-
6:04 - 6:06It's just too boring!
-
6:06 - 6:07(Laughter)
-
6:07 - 6:10I had a chance to talk with the leaders,
and they too were troubled. -
6:10 - 6:12He said, "People attend our meetings
-
6:12 - 6:15because they share our vision
for this community, -
6:15 - 6:16but it's hard to retain them."
-
6:16 - 6:18That's when I realized,
-
6:18 - 6:21the "fun factor" is very important
in this type of community. -
6:21 - 6:26If you don't deliberately design something
that piques their intellectual curiosity, -
6:26 - 6:28people run for the hills.
-
6:28 - 6:32You have to be alarmed when you face
such a high turnover rate. -
6:32 - 6:35To combat this, you can choose
to bring in new people on a regular basis -
6:35 - 6:39or choose a theme
that interests everyone. -
6:39 - 6:41"A deliberate design" is necessary
-
6:41 - 6:43in order to fulfil their curiosity.
-
6:45 - 6:48The second lesson
is "the design of uncontrol." -
6:49 - 6:50As I said before,
-
6:50 - 6:52variety of people join
this type of community. -
6:52 - 6:55So their lifestyle varies,
-
6:55 - 6:58and everyone carries different workloads.
-
6:58 - 7:01Some have completely
different days off from work, -
7:01 - 7:04so it's not easy choosing
a date for gatherings. -
7:04 - 7:07I actually have a story to tell
related to this lesson. -
7:07 - 7:11One member worked for a mega company,
in the corporate planning division. -
7:11 - 7:13His role with us was to find a venue.
-
7:13 - 7:16He was usually very busy,
-
7:16 - 7:19so he couldn't find a venue
for our upcoming event. -
7:19 - 7:22Everyone was getting impatient,
-
7:22 - 7:24so we decided to hold an urgent meeting.
-
7:24 - 7:28About 15 people came
to discuss this matter. -
7:29 - 7:32An hour before the meeting,
I got a call from him and he said, -
7:32 - 7:36"The medium-term business plan
has to be reworked from the beginning. -
7:36 - 7:38so I just can't attend the meeting."
-
7:38 - 7:41I said, "What? I had
everyone come for you!" -
7:41 - 7:42(Laughter)
-
7:42 - 7:43He just couldn't come.
-
7:43 - 7:45I thought, "What do I do?"
-
7:45 - 7:48Yet I thought honesty would be best
-
7:48 - 7:51and decided to tell everyone,
fearing they'd be pissed -
7:51 - 7:55because everyone came
by setting their own schedule aside. -
7:55 - 7:57Contrary to my expectation,
-
7:57 - 8:01they said, "No Problem! Let's focus
on other agendas and see what we can do!" -
8:01 - 8:03We did a lot of brainstorming,
-
8:03 - 8:06and selected the presenters on the spot.
-
8:06 - 8:10What I learned from this
is that even if you make plans ahead, -
8:10 - 8:12not everything goes according to schedule.
-
8:12 - 8:14In such a diverse community,
-
8:14 - 8:16where individuals have
different lifestyles, -
8:16 - 8:20everyone needs to be flexible and find
tasks they can work on at the moment. -
8:20 - 8:22No matter how hard you try,
-
8:22 - 8:25you can't control
peoples' schedules or lives. -
8:25 - 8:29Therefore, you should not make
important decisions -
8:29 - 8:31or design too much ahead of time.
-
8:31 - 8:34Instead, be flexible and embrace change.
-
8:35 - 8:38The third lesson is, "Matching the Needs."
-
8:38 - 8:44In 2011, I started TEDxKids
that uses TEDx format, -
8:44 - 8:47to reach younger audience.
-
8:47 - 8:50I recruited a variety of volunteers
and worked with them. -
8:51 - 8:55One day, my friend introduced me
to this young lady. -
8:56 - 9:00She was a joyful person
who enjoyed chatting with everyone -
9:00 - 9:05but once in a while she sat at a table
and became an observer. -
9:05 - 9:09I wanted to know what she was up to
so I went over to her. -
9:09 - 9:13She said, "I'm not sure what I can do."
-
9:13 - 9:17I thought about the tasks
she could take up -
9:17 - 9:23and was almost going to make suggestions
about how she could contribute. -
9:23 - 9:24But I held my tongue there.
-
9:24 - 9:27Before I started TEDxKids,
-
9:27 - 9:31I often asked people to do specific tasks.
-
9:31 - 9:34But when I was assigning tasks
as an event organizer, -
9:34 - 9:36I was only sharing a portion of my work.
-
9:36 - 9:39I learned from this event
that when people are "given" a task, -
9:39 - 9:44they won't be intrinsically motivated
as they don't see the task as their own. -
9:44 - 9:47Once they feel overwhelmed
with the workload, they quit. -
9:47 - 9:50I wanted to avoid making
the same mistake, so I held back. -
9:50 - 9:54But there was no progress
with her for about three weeks. -
9:54 - 9:57I decided to talk to her again.
-
9:57 - 10:01Although I normally don't
make suggestions, I told her, -
10:01 - 10:04"We have some tasks available."
-
10:04 - 10:07"You might be interested
in working on this or that." -
10:07 - 10:13She replied, "At work,
I'm always in the office -
10:13 - 10:16talking to the same people
about the same topic every day." -
10:16 - 10:18"When I was a university student,
-
10:18 - 10:22I worked at NPO and talked
with various people about our future. -
10:22 - 10:25In this community, I want
to communicate with more people." -
10:25 - 10:28TEDx community has
what we call "Participant Team." -
10:28 - 10:31It's what the previous presenter
was talking about. -
10:31 - 10:37The team designs participants' experiences
through communication. -
10:37 - 10:42I mentioned it to her hoping
she'd jump at it but she didn't. -
10:42 - 10:44She said, "I'll think about it."
-
10:44 - 10:47One week later, I received an email
with just one sentence: "I'll do it." -
10:47 - 10:50She became the most ardent volunteer.
-
10:50 - 10:53She sorted out what she needed to do,
laid out all the tasks to be tackled, -
10:53 - 10:57and frequently communicated
with other participants though email. -
10:57 - 11:01At the time, I had just started
at TEDxKids, so my hands were full. -
11:01 - 11:05I couldn't pay attention to many details,
-
11:05 - 11:09but because I had her,
I could let her take care of all that. -
11:09 - 11:12If I hadn't held myself back
and decided her job for her, -
11:12 - 11:14things would have turned out differently.
-
11:14 - 11:21I realized that it's important
to give room and offer support -
11:21 - 11:27so that the person can paint the room
with their favorite color. -
11:29 - 11:32The fourth lesson is this:
"Leadership is action, not status". -
11:33 - 11:37As I mentioned previously,
various people come to the community. -
11:37 - 11:40Quite a few motivated people
show up saying, -
11:40 - 11:43"I want to be a leader!"
And they run for the leader. -
11:43 - 11:47But from my experience,
-
11:47 - 11:52about half of them end up doing nothing
after taking up a leading role. -
11:52 - 11:55Their title on Facebook
still says "leader," -
11:55 - 11:58but it makes me wonder,
"Are you actually doing anything?" -
11:58 - 12:01Once I started seeing this pattern,
when someone asked me for advise, -
12:01 - 12:03I began telling them,
-
12:04 - 12:09"You'll need to translate your ambitions
into visible actions to prove yourself, -
12:10 - 12:13and people will consequently
acknowledge you as a leader." -
12:13 - 12:16Those who take my advice seriously
and take the necessary actions, -
12:16 - 12:18do make up a great team.
-
12:18 - 12:21I realized that rather than
giving them a title, -
12:21 - 12:24it is important to stimulate them to act.
-
12:25 - 12:29Because when people join
a community to volunteer, -
12:29 - 12:34"the leader" is just another stranger.
-
12:34 - 12:39But if they dedicate themselves
to the team with a strong work ethics, -
12:39 - 12:42people will acknowledge the leadership,
-
12:42 - 12:46which is crucial to becoming a leader.
-
12:48 - 12:51The Fifth lesson is this:
"The design of a break." -
12:51 - 12:55When we work together for a long time,
members go through different life stages. -
12:55 - 13:02They get married, have children,
change jobs, launch a project and so on. -
13:02 - 13:05There is no consistency
in terms of how busy they are. -
13:05 - 13:07At times, they cannot fully commit
to the community. -
13:07 - 13:12Nonetheless, after all the working years,
a sense of fellowship develops, -
13:12 - 13:16and you start feeling obliged
to remain loyal to the team. -
13:16 - 13:19"I don't really have time for this,
but I have to attend since they need me." -
13:19 - 13:23This mindset not only jeopardizes
the quality of the output, -
13:23 - 13:26but also has a negative
influence on others. -
13:26 - 13:27So, after every event,
-
13:27 - 13:30when it's time to plan for the next year,
-
13:30 - 13:32I always ask members what they are up to.
-
13:32 - 13:36If they are facing major life events,
-
13:36 - 13:40I advise them to take a break
from volunteering. -
13:41 - 13:42To make things easier,
-
13:42 - 13:46I also divide the community structure
into several layers. -
13:46 - 13:49The core team that does all the planning
is composed of members -
13:49 - 13:51who can fully commit.
-
13:51 - 13:57In this team, I only include people
whose activity rate is about 80% to 90%. -
13:57 - 14:01I inform everyone
at the interview of this, -
14:01 - 14:06so they have an option
to join another team -
14:06 - 14:10with relatively loose constraints
and minimal commitment. -
14:10 - 14:13Members can choose to participate
in the community using social media. -
14:13 - 14:16They can share the latest posts
from the community on SNS -
14:16 - 14:18and still feel positive
about their participation. -
14:18 - 14:22When they become available again,
-
14:22 - 14:27they can choose to fully participate
the following year. -
14:27 - 14:31Creating space
where they feel comfortable -
14:31 - 14:36allows them to commit on their terms.
-
14:38 - 14:42Finally, many people ask me,
-
14:42 - 14:48"What is most important to you
when you manage a community?" -
14:48 - 14:50My answer is always this:
-
14:50 - 14:52"community temperature,"
-
14:52 - 14:55meaning, how "hot" or enthusiastic
community members are. -
14:55 - 14:57I often compare this to a campfire.
-
14:57 - 15:00Have you ever built a campfire?
Of course you have. -
15:00 - 15:03Have you ever set the fire?
-
15:03 - 15:05Or handled charcoals at BBQ?
-
15:05 - 15:08Isn't it pretty hard to set the fire?
-
15:08 - 15:11You lay tissues and twigs
-
15:11 - 15:15and stack thick and dry branches
on top and then light the fire. -
15:15 - 15:19Even if you can't start a fire
with your first attempt, you keep trying. -
15:19 - 15:20Once the fire is lit,
-
15:20 - 15:24you add thick flammable wood
for the fire to burn steadily. -
15:24 - 15:27Community management
is comparable to this. -
15:27 - 15:30At first, it's rather hard
to light members' motivation, -
15:30 - 15:33but once everyone is on fire,
you can sit back. -
15:33 - 15:35Not interfering is advisable.
-
15:35 - 15:39Occasionally, the wind blows
and the fire dwindles. -
15:39 - 15:43At this point, try to shield the wind
or add more flammable sticks -
15:43 - 15:47to control the "temperature."
-
15:48 - 15:50Generally,
-
15:50 - 15:55many people may think
that a community must go on forever. -
15:55 - 16:01But actually, once you achieve a goal,
you can put an end to the community. -
16:01 - 16:06I mean, when the BBQ you are grilling
is fully cooked, you stop the fire. -
16:06 - 16:09You can't eat if you
keep watching over the fire! -
16:09 - 16:10(Laughter)
-
16:10 - 16:11At this point,
-
16:11 - 16:14eating BBQ with all the members
becomes more important. -
16:14 - 16:17And once you achieve a goal,
you can end things there. -
16:17 - 16:21If you force yourselves to go on,
you put strain on yourself and others. -
16:21 - 16:25I think this is an important perspective.
-
16:25 - 16:30Our world is full of problems.
-
16:30 - 16:33Businesses can't always
generate solutions. -
16:33 - 16:36Many companies feel their businesses
are irrelevant to the problems. -
16:36 - 16:39So they end up not participating
in important activities or events. -
16:39 - 16:43If we can create a place
where various people share their ideas -
16:43 - 16:46and can truly feel
that they are part of the community, -
16:46 - 16:49working for "no money" may rather
become a rewarding experience. -
16:49 - 16:51If we can replicate places like this,
-
16:51 - 16:54communities will be able
to solve more problems. -
16:54 - 16:55I truly believe this.
-
16:55 - 16:57And if we can accomplish this,
-
16:57 - 17:02we can create a wonderful world
that our children will be proud of. -
17:02 - 17:05Thank you for listening today.
- Title:
- Five lessons in community management | Ryuta Aoki | TEDxKobeSalon
- Description:
-
Ryuta Aoki talks about five important lessons in community management he learned from joining TEDxTokyo volunteer activities and starting his own TEDxKids@Chiyoda community.
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.
- Video Language:
- Japanese
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 17:13
Riaki Ponist approved English subtitles for コニュニティ運営のための5つの教訓 | 青木竜太 | TEDxKobeSalon | ||
Charlotte Swift accepted English subtitles for コニュニティ運営のための5つの教訓 | 青木竜太 | TEDxKobeSalon | ||
Charlotte Swift edited English subtitles for コニュニティ運営のための5つの教訓 | 青木竜太 | TEDxKobeSalon | ||
Charlotte Swift edited English subtitles for コニュニティ運営のための5つの教訓 | 青木竜太 | TEDxKobeSalon | ||
Charlotte Swift edited English subtitles for コニュニティ運営のための5つの教訓 | 青木竜太 | TEDxKobeSalon | ||
Charlotte Swift edited English subtitles for コニュニティ運営のための5つの教訓 | 青木竜太 | TEDxKobeSalon | ||
Charlotte Swift edited English subtitles for コニュニティ運営のための5つの教訓 | 青木竜太 | TEDxKobeSalon | ||
Charlotte Swift edited English subtitles for コニュニティ運営のための5つの教訓 | 青木竜太 | TEDxKobeSalon |