Organized Chaos is nothing more than table to table networking.
Setup:
In order to facilitate the flow of people from one table to the other, the tables are designated with letters. The seats around the table are numbered clockwise from 1 to 8 to facilitate networking at the table and to facilitate moving networkers from table to table.Seat 1 at the table is the “anchor” and where networking activity begins.The 8th seat has a sign “reserved” to accommodate late arrivals. Letters are not assigned until after Phase 1.
Phase 1 Intra-table networking (Networking around networkers “home” table.)
Starting at Seat 1 (the anchor), each person presents to others at the table, handing a stack of their business cards to the person on their left as they begin speaking. Listeners should take notes on the contact sheets or back of the presenters business card. At a sound or other instruction, control of the table passes to the next person to the left of the present speaker.
This process repeats until all networkers have presented. When all networkers at all tables have presented, phase 1 is complete.
The moderator or MC determines when this phase is complete due to variable circumstances.
At this point, letters are assigned to tables. This accomodates varying circumstances.
Phase 2 Inter-table networking
Each networker is in a numbered group according their seat number at the table. That is, all of the networkers situated in seat 1 at each table are part of group 1, all of the networkers in seat 2 at each table are part of group 2, all of the networkers in seat 3 at each table are part of group 3, etc.
Rotating from table to table, each numbered group will present to each table in alphabetical order.As the networkers begin to present they hand their business cards to the seated person on their left, using time effectively and smoothing the flow.Listeners should take notes on the contact sheets or back of the presenter’s business cards. Presenters move from table to table when a sound (presently a cow bell) indicates the 45 second presentation time is at an end. See the flow in the chart above.
As networkers return to their orignal table, a round of organized chaos ends. Pausing momentarily to ensure everyone is back to their original table, the next round begins. This keeps the rounds distinctly separate. After the eighth round of Phase 2 is over, one final phase is required.
Phase 3 - Networkers in the same numbered group present.
Those in the same numbered group have not presented to each other.Assuming there are 8 people at 8 tables:Seat 1 group goes to table A (the 1st letter in the alphabet),
Seat 2 group goes to table B (the 2nd letter),
Seat 3 group goes to table C (the 3rd letter),
Seat 4 group goes to table D (the 4th letter),
Seat 5 group goes to table E (the 5th letter),
Seat 6 group goes to table F (the 6th letter),
Seat 7 group goes to table G (the 7th letter), and finally,
Seat 8 group goes to table H (the 8th letter).
Some adjustment will be required if there are not 8 tables.
Prizes and other activities should be interjected between phase 2 and 3 since everyone will be out of their “home” seats in phase 3 and certain activities may be difficult to accomplish in that situation.
