YamJam: Sample SMEs prep email

Set upPlaceholdermeeting (allow for 15 minutes before and after the Jam, so SMEs aren't back-to-back on other calls/meetings); add Skype for Business as backchannel so you have audio and IM during the Jam.
Verbiage sample for email confirmation to SMEs, 2 days before the event (include hyperlinks as needed):
All,
I’m excited for our YamJam Thursday!
Prep

  • Please log onto Yammer, and be in the Community Management group by 10:50 am for our 11 am EST start
  • Log onto Skype (in our meeting request) for our backchannel. We’ll have both audio and chat available. Noah and Steve M will be helping with behind the scenes moderating, looking for threads that need comments or answers, and the back channel will help all stay on top of things.

For the Jam:

  • At 11 am, I’ll send out an Announcement to kick off the Jam, and ask participants to introduce themselves – you too. Then
  • Below are 6 questions that I will ask (one per thread) with about 8 minutes in between each question. Please take a look and let me know any edits you want before Thursday. Keep in mind the audience wants to know your story, the good, the bad and the ugly. Feel free to share examples, and if you have screen shots, videos, handouts or even verbiage you used, to share as a template, with your answers, even better for the audience. Also, tag other Office 365 members if they are a part of your story, or add a link to Notes or files as appropriate.

Welcome announcement: Introduce yourself; guideline to our jam

First 30 minutes: focus on Basics
1. (2 sentences to define a YamJam for our conversation today. Typically, a one hour structured conversation with a SME or exec around a specific topic) Tell us how you go about planning a YamJam. (Moderator prompt with this, if needed, audience might ask as well: Who do you get involved, how do you pick a topic, how do you communicate about it?)
2. One of the key elements of a successful YamJam is moderation. What are your best practices for moderating a YamJam?
3. (Define SME - a SME is a subject matter expert or executive who will speak on your topic). How do you prep your SME or leader for the YamJam?

Last 30 minutes: focus on Topics and Advanced concepts
4. What topics discussed on a YamJam have you seen be successful?
5. Where else have you seen YamJams work? (Going for Microsoft CEO Connection type thing, why Ask Me Anything doesn't work well)
6. What advice do you have for community managers/group admins to start YamJams in their network?
ALSO for the Jam:

  • Our audience will most likely be asking questions too. I’ll be instructing them to ask as a separate thread so that we can attempt to keep topics together. Please keep an eye out for their questions (I will too), and jump in to answer as you can. If you have others on your team that you want to assist in adding answers, please invite them to the Jam, or tag them on the conversation and they can add info later.

Should you need me for anything before Thursday,feel free to email or post a message to me in Yammer. On Thursday, starting at 10:30, should you need me for an immediate response, please text me at xyzxyzxyzz, as I will be focused on getting things prepped and may miss an email.
It’s gonna be fab!THANK you, for sharing your story with our customers!
Still have people to remind to join? Here is the thread in the Office 365 network to tag them.