Weekly Coworking Calls

Weekly Coworking Calls#

The Turing Way team has been hosting shorter coworking calls each week. These calls are similar to the Collaboration Cafes, but only 1-hour long. Since May 2020, these calls have been taking place multiple days each week at 11:00 GMT/BST. It is not hosted on the days when there is a Collaboration Cafe already scheduled.

Like Collaboration Cafes, we host these calls online using Zoom. We use the Shut up & Write! method by providing allocated time for two 20-25 minutes long Pomodoro sessions and two short breaks to chat about our work and exchange what we got done.

The primary target of these calls are members who are working on certain issues or PRs in The Turing Way to come along and join other community members in their usual working hours. These calls also provide opportunities to clarify doubts about the project, get PRs reviewed, brainstorm different ideas together, and stay connected with other members in the community.

Attending an online coworking call#

The schedule for these coworking calls is updated weekly in the community calendar. We announce these in our monthly newsletters and send a reminder every Monday on the Slack channel.

Though scheduled for 1 hour, you are welcome to join for shorter periods as your schedule allows, however, please let the host of the call know so that they know who to expect on the call. If you are interested in coworking with one of the team members on a day that is not listed on the schedule, please contact them on Slack or by email so that they can find a common slot to work with you.

Resource used for the call#

The resource requirement for these calls is also very similar to the Collaboration Cafe.

  1. Shared notes by HackMD: https://hackmd.io/@turingway/coworking-call

  2. Online call by Zoom: The Zoom link is provided in the HackMD.

  3. An online Pomodoro clock: https://cuckoo.team/TW-coworking

We don’t record these calls. We also don’t create breakout rooms unless there are multiple people working on the same thing.

Format of the call#

We have a template for the Collaboration Cafes, which is updated on the shared HackMD for each week.

We’ll run the following schedule during each call:

Duration

Activity

Start

👋 Welcome

5 mins

Introductions and personal goal setting

25 mins

🍅 1st Pomodoro session

5 mins

☕️ Break and report out

25 mins

🍅 2nd Pomodoro session

5 mins

Open discussion and Close 👋

In contrast to the Collaboration Cafes, the schedule for these calls seems more intense with less chance for discussion. However, since these calls are attended by fewer participants, it provides more opportunities for informal interactions.

Chairing Coworking Calls#

Please update the document each month using the following steps:

  • Update the HackMD each month by adding dates for the weekly calls

  • Move the notes from the previous call below the template area (that will be archived in this Notion page periodically)

  • Share the notes on Slack and X (formerly Twitter) announcing the dates

  • Use the notes during the call to share information as you chair the call

  • Make sure that you share the Code of Conduct link and use the shared Cuckoo (or other web-based clocks)

  • Create breakout rooms for people before starting the Pomodoro sessions - when needed

  • As the first Pomodoro session ends, close any breakout rooms, ask for feedback, and then restart the second Pomodoro session

  • The call is scheduled for 60 minutes, and hence can accommodate up to 2 Pomodoro sessions

  • Close the call thanking everyone, and archive the notes for the next call

Beginning#

The call begins with the team members welcoming the participants, sharing the Code of Conduct, reminding how to participate in the call, and setting the stage for everyone to share how they are doing and what they will be working on.

Pomodoros#

The session chair will start the timer to keep track of the Pomodoro sessions. If everyone plans to work on independent tasks, we will remain in the main room and work silently. For any discussion or collaborative task that two people of the call are working on, we will create [breakout rooms][ch-coworking-collabcafe-breakout] for them.

If there are new members on the call, one of the members (usually host of the call) will take the new member to a breakout room to show them around the project repository and share some tips for getting started.

Breaks#

We will take short breaks after each Pomodoro to reflect on what we could get done, troubleshoot any errors that any attendee might have come across, verbalise our progress and celebrate small successes.

If joining this call later#

If you join later, you might see people quietly working on their tasks. You can track the time left before the next break by opening the shared clock in your browser. If you know in advance that you’d join later, you can let the host of the call know by either contacting them before the call or leaving a note in the shared document.

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