Background
Speed dat(a)ing is designed to be a time efficient and effective networking event where participants gather together to exchange information and generate professional contacts. Participants greet each other in a series of brief exchanges during a set period of time in order to allow attendees to get to know many more and a wider variety of other attendees and with less effort than they individually could, especially given the length of time which has passed since the last face to face meeting. During an interaction, participants are encouraged to ask a work question and a non-work question to get to know each other both professionally and personally.
Participants will be requested to bring and share business cards and to jot down any interesting details they find on those cards Participants will be standing around a large room, placed in groups according to their sub-regions, and the session will start with a brief introduction explaining how it will work (2-3 mins). While for all rounds participants will be encouraged to pair up with someone they have never met before, for the first round, they will also be asked to find someone who is not from their subregion. They will then have 5 minutes to ask each other at least one work and one non-work question and to rotate between as needed. Sample questions will be put onto the screen for participants to look at but they can ask anything. A bell will ring at the end of 5 minutes and participants will be encouraged to go and find a new partner (preferably someone they do not know). There will be a total of 11 rotations.
At the end of the session, there will be a few minutes for participants to share any reflections.
Suggested Questions
Work questions:
- What experience did you have to get your job?
- How long have you worked here?
- What is your own background and experience?
- What is a typical work day like?
- How much variety is there in your work?
- What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
- Do you think your education prepared you for your current job?
- What is the biggest obstacle you have faced in your career so far?
- How would you describe the culture in your organization?
- What would you change about your job if you could?
- What is the greatest challenge facing statisticians today?
- What do you think is your role in the data revolution? Are you a revolutionary?
- Is statistics ‘old school’? Should we all be data scientists?
- Are you comfortable with using non official statistics?
- Is there enough diversity in our statistical community?
- Does the NSO have a future in the new data ecosystem?
- Do you think there is a culture of trust in statistics in your country?
- Do you think that data rights are sufficiently protected?
Non-work questions:
- What is your favourite place to go on holiday?
- When you were a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
- Who is your greatest role model? / Do you have any mentors or people you look up to? Tell me about one of them.
- If you could pass one global law, what would it be?
- What book changed your life?
- What do you like to do to relax?
- What is the best piece of advice you were ever given?
- What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given? And why was it so bad?
- When did you get your first mobile phone and what kind was it?
- What is the best purchase you have ever made?
- If you could live in another historical period, would you? If so, which one?
- If you were reincarnated as an animal, what would you choose and why?
- What’s a word or phrase in another language (or your own) that you really like?
- What’s your favorite thing about the place where you live?
- What’s one country you would love to visit and why?
- What’s an unusual family or national tradition you have?
- What’s your culture’s most underrated food?
