Tuesday, Two Talks at 2:00

(2T@2)

While building out the career paths for a startup, it occurred to me that many of our team members were very young in their careers. Part of the career paths document I was developing listed not only technical skills, but soft skills as well. One set of soft skills I am passionate about is presentation skills. But I knew that many of the team members did not possess them, or ever had an opportunity to build these skills.

The Platform to Learn

I started an internal program as a platform to train and practice presentations. Tuesday, Two Talks at 2:00 (2T@2) was born.

Every Tuesday, two team members would give a presentation to the office at 2:00. The only rules were as follows.

  • The topic can be on any subject
  • The talk needs to be at least 8 minutes, but no longer than 20 minutes
  • Slide decks were not required, only encouraged
  • All employees will give a presentation, no exceptions

When I announced the new program, there was almost a revolt in the office. There was no shortage of complaints and opposition.

  • “This is going to slow down our Sprint velocity!”
  • “I do not have time for this!”
  • “I do not like speaking in public!”

I had to force the issue. The team needed an opportunity to build this skill set. The office, I explained, was a perfect environment. Team members would be presenting to their friends and coworkers. There would be no judgement. Fortunately, we had a big office space and a small team (only 35 people at the time). The first few presentations were from volunteers, but a schedule was set for the rest of the team.

The Great Results

I was pleasantly surprised to see how fast the office came to enjoy not only listening to the presentations, but more importantly giving the presentations. Team members were giving us talks on an incredibly diverse set of subjects. Everything from a motorcycle ride across Mongolia, to the many uses of Duct tape. One person brought in his guitar and performed for the office. Another, who was also a yoga instructor, led the whole office through a series of stretches to ease stress. By the second round of talks, team members were coming to me to remind me of the upcoming schedule. Some were disappointed that I missed their presentation due to my travel schedule.

It is incredibly satisfying seeing a young team member blossom. But more importantly there were direct effects for the organization. The team building exercise led to better trust and communication in the office. More importantly, many team members interacted and gave presentations/demos to clients. Without their conscious knowledge I witnessed their confidence and delivery improve dramatically.