Every month my team gathers for “Show & Tell”. One lucky victim volunteer leads a discussion on a cool project or discovery they have made in our field of web design and development. This month I asked if I could take the team on a virtual fieldtrip to Australia to hear Tantek Çelik’s presentation on The Elements of Meaningful XHTML from Web Essentials ’05.
Armed with Tantek’s podcast and slide presentation (released under creative commons), I was able to transport the team to this amazing conference session. And while nothing is better than actually attending the conference, I will admit I discovered something very special during this podcast.
Imagine, getting to listen to Tantek with your whole team. Being able to pause the presentation to discuss a point more deeply or ask clarifying questions. And while I’d never interrupt Tantek in the middle of his presentation for a team discussion…the ability to pause during his podcast was priceless.
The depth of our team conversation during and after the podcast surpassed my expectations. I watched the power of collective wisdom unfold. The brilliance of Tantek plus the creative minds of my workmates gave me goosebumps. But don’t take my word for it. Listen to the podcast yourself. Or better yet, listen to it and share it with your workmates.
Have you had similar experiences? Do you have any podcasts that you’ve found particularly stimulating?
I’ve not ventured too deeply into the world of podcasts – I only heard my first podcast at the weekend, the excellent Drunkcast by the ladies at Girlspoke. Must check out the Web Essentials podcasts!