2 days of being inspired, intrigued, confused, fascinated and well... angry. That's what Bill Boorman's #TRU events do for you. Why? - because everyone has a voice, and is allowed to have a voice - and everyone is relevant.
This matters.
During some of the tracks, I do get angry. I do get angry when people patronise, when they say "you're wrong" without applying perspective, when people stifle innovation and idea, and when I don't get `my` word in edgeways!!! :)
I sat in tracks with Americans (they're the noisy ones haha), South Africans (they're the quiet ones), Dutch (they're the crazy ones), Swiss (they... oops, he is the loyal one), Half-Canadians (he's the one with the moving hands), Scots (he's the one with the crazy wail), Irish (they're the one's who are just too damn intelligent), and well... there were others, French, English, Swedish, and a lovely chap who runs a Village Store in Hampshire.
I sat in tracks with Inhouse Recruiters, Recruitment Marketers, Social Recruiting Strategists, Futurologists!, Agency Recruiters, Graduates, HR professionals, HR consultants, Sourcing Gurus, Global Recruiting Managers, Job boards, Software people, Employer Branding advisors, Talent Community types, and the man with the hands... Brand Engagement Specialists. And Bill - who fits in most of the above.
The perspectives are wide and varied, open and opinionated, right and wrong, but always, always relevant. Because whether you think the CV is dead or not, or you think the workforce should be mobile and unrefined, or you think HR should be a cost centre - everyone's opinion matters.
That's what's great about #TRU events. No speakers, No one person an expert more than any other, Discussion and Debate, and Diversity in the extreme.
However the challenge is this. Those of us who hit this event every time, are well versed and ensconced in innovation, ideas and diffrentiating the applicable from the noise. What about the new visitors? If everyone has a voice, and no-one is wrong - then who is right? For the lady in the room who asked what she should do first in engaging her recruiters into social media - she got 5 answers from 5 different people. How does the inquisitor make the diffrential between what is right for `their` business from 5 strong voices, all with apparent authority on the subject.
It's something to take from this whole #TRU circus. I am it's biggest advocate, and advise any recruiter or HR professional to go, if you have any ideals on trying to modernise and evolve your recruitment communication methods - but stay strong in understanding your own business, your own colleagues and their methods - ans apply advice accordingly, and with care.