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# Wrap up: leading the community event posters' session
Doc for @bchauvet: is it clear enough? what should be added?
Goal --> share the work instructions that you'll have to give to the participants
[TOC]
## (internal note) Tasks for the lead
- explain the expected outcomes and the stakes
- provide guidance about the SWH products and features
- check the validity of the contents
- help people generating ideas thanks to his knowledge of the SWH products
Time keeper: Sabrina
## (internal note) Useful links, general description
Session description with a list of the useful links:
https://gitlab.softwareheritage.org/outreach/events/community-workshop-external/-/blob/main/2025-Community-workshop/Posters-session/posters-session-description.md?ref_type=heads
https://gitlab.softwareheritage.org/outreach/events/community-workshop-internal/-/blob/main/2025-Community-event-organization/2025_general-action-plan.md?ref_type=heads
- 10:05-10:15 (plenary) general organization of the day, overview of the activities (aims, final output). [Morane]
- **10:15-11:30**: work instructions about the posters session [Benoît]
*FAQ session participants move to their room ; posters session participants stay in the same room*
- 11:30-12:00 (plenary) Coms segment [Nicole]
- lunch break, group photo
- **13:30-15:00**: (sub-groups FAQ and posters) [Benoît] [Jaime]
- 15:00-15:20: coffee break
- 15:20-16:00: (plenary) wrap up of the day, show and tell moment [Morane]
## (public speech) What to explain on D-Day: work instructions for the participants
### Greetings
Dear all,
Welcome to this posters' session that I will lead.
### Which type of output will we produce?
Today, instead of academic posters or technical docs, we'll design communication tools.
The primary goal of this poster type is not to provide detailed technical information, but rather to catch attention. Suppose your audience doesn't know at all SWH.
The stake is to create tools to get people involved.
And in Alex Bailey's pathway to inclusion, there are six steps everyone needs to pass through, to get from never having heard of a thing to being deeply involved in it.
Therefore these posters can serve as a valuable resource for the SWH team and for SWH advocates.
To put it simply, what we want to **AVOID** is:
- duplicating the existing documentation
- creating tutorials
- creating an academic poster
### 4 tracks are at your disposal
We identified 4 themes aligned with the SWH core missions:
- “Transparency"
- “Permanency"
- “Discovering”
- “The right to repair”
When you registered, you were asked to choose a theme. If not already done, you can make your final decision and you can even change your mind.
As you see, the entry point is not a feature nor a technology.
This activity emphasizes collaborative brainstorming to explore diverse perspectives and achieve more surprising results.
For instance, the track "Permanency" may be a good opportunity to talk about mirrors and copies, but also about legacy software, etc.
Each theme provides a diverse range of options, allowing your future audience to select the topics that interest them.
Important point: the themes are NOT the titles of the posters. You'll have to define what will be the core message of your poster.
This leads me to tell you more about the method.
### Using a common template to create the minimum viable product
(internal note --> *Show the printed template*)
- All of you will use the same template, which is very simple on purpose ; these posters are designed as a series
- The central column is for the key message only, this is what we want people to remember/understand with no effort. It's in plain language. Think about how you would write an effective blogpost title.
At the end of the day, during the "show and tell" sequence, you will be asked to quickly explain why did you choose this key message.
- On the left, you can add info about the context
- On the right, you can illustrate how SWH meets these challenges and needs
- Our motto for today: "the less, the better" --> perfection is not when there's nothing to add, but rather when there is nothing to remove.
- Another rule: "quick and easy". Don't strive to create graphics, nor infographics. Work is done with existing materials.
In addition to the template, we prepared a small toolbox. You can scan the QR code on the programme to access the toolbox.
And before lunch, Nicole, who's head of the coms at SWH, will share with you best practices to deliver compelling messages. Ask her questions! Share with her your feedbacks and needs.
### A last point
In each group, please choose a team leader who will be in charge of the short presentation of the poster at the end of the day.
IMPORTANT: you can work using the online template, but at the end of the day, each group has to showcase a paper version.
Don't forget to fill out the authors poster's list.
## (internal note) FAQ
- **Is it possible to add a proposal of poster on D-Day?**
- No, unless one of the four themes is cancelled. If it occurs, the new theme has to be aligned with the general approach. (In addition, there is a financial limitation. For the post-production process, to get an attractive layout, we'll hire a graphic designer. The quote is based upon 4 posters.)
- **What will be the final format?**
- Print and online (SWH communication kit addition)
- **What about more targeted topics?**
- The main aim of the community event is to enable people networking. The aim is avoid creating silos and to combine different sets of skills, around a consistent vision of SWH. Some people will arrive with a very precise idea but the aim of the activity is also to rely on different viewpoints to create outputs differently.
- **Will the posters have the same layout?**
- Yes and no.
- Yes, as there is a template to be used. People have the choice between a "Think in ink" session or using online files to prepare their work.
- No, as the graphic designer has been asked to make proposals of distinct visual identities for the 4 posters. Same structure but with variations.
- C/C = Same structure but distinct layouts for the final version
- **The layout template doesn't offer enough space! / The template is horrible (i.e. "Your layout sucks", Kant)**
- General motto: the less, the better --> perfection is not when there's nothing to add, but rather when there is nothing to remove. The purpose is not to create a research poster.
- Attract the attention and insert links to further info
- For people who would like to, possible to create a list of resources. Link to the list will be inserted in the poster during the post-production process.
- **Can people work on their poster after the event?**
- Yes and no.
- Yes in a short period of time = D-Day + 48H
- No work after the deadline mentioned above, as we have a long post-production process with different stages (review, files prep, graphic designer work, etc.). And no, because we want the output to be produced in a collective effort, when people can easily talk to each other to make decision. And truth is that even when people ask for working after an event, it rarely happens, therefore we have to produce the MVP during D-Day.
- **What is the MVP? What should the participants achieve during the session?**
- The core message of the posters: the themes are not the final messages
- core message = blogpost title
- The selection of features/products related to the core message (links can be inserted after the event, by Benoît and/or Sabrina)
- each group will choose on D-Day a group leader who will ensure the MVP is done and will briefly present this output at the end of the day
- **What if the same topic is in several posters?**
- It doesn't matter. As long as the topic is directly linked to the angle you chose, it's ok.
- **What happens with the contents after the event?**
- This will be a collaborative effort, involving a graphic designer. The wording will be improved and each poster will have a visual identity.
- (Internal note):
- Sabrina creates the files based upon the printed versions (Karim will take detailed pictures of the outputs on D-Day)
- Benoît checks the correctness of the contents
- Nicole improves the wording
- By mid Feb, Sabrina sends the final version of the files to the graphic designer
- The graphic designer provides the posters with their final layout (source files included ; license = CC BY), after a couple of iterations with us
- Nicole or Marla adds the files to the Communication kit(?)
- Sabrina syncs with Nicole to promote the resources