Here are some keys to organizing staff at a small convention, courtesy
Jeff, who ought to know these things.
First, give them a basic decision tree. If something happens (and
most of what happens can be predicted,) they should have a clear
instruction for what to do next.
Make this tree available to everyone. Tech problem? Call the tech
guy. Lost child? Call CC liason. Shoplifter? Escalate to ops.
Everyone should know where their responsibilities begin and end --
where they have leeway, where they must take orders, and where they
should delegate.
The goal here is to "Turn out McDonalds workers." It sounds like a
terrible thing, but think about it for a moment -- the McDonalds
worker is someone who can be counted on for consistent responses, and
who knows enough to buck what he can't handle up to his superiors.
More important, the McDonald's worker doesn't need much training,
doesn't need a comprehensive knowledge of state and federal liability
laws, medical procedures, unarmed combat techniques, Japanese
language, and whatever else a convention staffer might need if he were
left to his own devices. He just needs some communication equipment
and people to call.
That brings us to the next item: know who to communicate with. Staff
should get a clear idea, top to bottom, of which guy is responsible
for which bits of the con. In most cases ops can route requests --
but that's hard on the ops staff. (One corollary is that your con
staff should be small enough so that everyone feels comfortable
talking to everyone else.)
Throw out everything you may be inclined to think about mission-type
or directive-based tactics. They're good strategies, but they assume
a great deal of rigorous training that, frankly, it's not feasible to
provide to every staff member. Even with the best of intentions,
staff will be volunteers, most likely with inadequate information.
Volunteers run good, fun, friendly cons. It's only when they get over
their heads that trouble happens. Your goal is to make sure they can
handle any situation they encounter, whether directly, or by calling
in backup.
And finally, you're going to get a few renegade staffers who will
bypass this tree and handle things themselves. Frankly, my thinking
on the matter is, if they succeed, let them be. Cons need people to
occasionally display some initiative, even the ones who have decided
they don't need the year-round responsibilities that go with higher
formal rank.
words from jeff & chris, 2009-02-07 01:52:53, northern california
