Mentoring Working Out Loud: some questions for consideration for a #pkmchat Twitter Chat

I am new to Working Out Loud (#wol) and Working Out Loud circles (#WOLcircles). Via yesterday’s #PKMChat on Twitter, Michelle (Ockers) asked us for our “Mentoring WOL” questions.

Any suggested Qs for next wk #PKMChat in Mentoring WOL? What do you want to ask others in this topic?

— Michelle Ockers (@MichelleOckers) 14 September 2016

I have yet to read “the” book, read the Circle Guides or be part of a WOL Circle. I plan to do all of these once I have completed the MOOC I am building (as a hobby!). So my questions are far from academic and may all be answered in those materials! Equally, I am not a sceptic! Always happy to do new things.

I generated the following set of questions for Michelle via a personal brainstorm while waiting for my Windows 7 laptop to complete a chkdsk this morning. It took forever …

Suggested Questions

1. Are there different types of WOL? What are they?
2. Are there different types of WOL Circle? What are they?
3. How would you compare solo WOL and WOL Circles?
4. Can you overdo WOL-ing?
5. NOT paranoid! How would you balance WOL and maintaining commercial confidentiality and NDAs? For example, I work for an IT services company where a lot of our work cannot be talked about publicly. Others, no doubt, will work for organisations where competitive advantage requires not sharing product/service strategies publicly.
6. Are WOL Circles “better” if the members are not all from the same organisation? Why or why not?
7. Are WOL and WOL Circles like anything we have done before re personal development?
8. What is your best personal WOL experience?
9. What is the best feedback you have had from WOL-ing or your contribution to a WOL Circle?
10. One tweet (or more) to pitch WOL to a sceptic?
11. One tweet (or more) to pitch WOL Circles to a sceptic?
12. What is the best way for a WOL Circle leader to recruit members to their group?
13. What is the best number of members for a WOL Circle? Minimum? Maximum?
14. What mix of people makes for the “best” WOL Circle?
15. Are there problems in allocating people to WOL Circles without any regard to their background, experience and objectives?
16. Should all WOL Circles follow the 12-week model?
17. Are there other patterns for running WOL Circles other than the 12-week model?
18. Are there any surprising pros and cons of physical vs virtual WOL Circles?
19. Should a WOL Circle leader have been a member of WOL Circle previously?
20. What is appropriate or inappropriate for WOL-ing?
21. Should WOL-ing always take into account what the likely benefit is to others or should you WOL anything and everything? Noting that one person’s rubbish is another person’s gold (paraphrasing Euan!)
22. Should you be a serial WOL-circler as a member and/or leader?