Good morning.
"And the beat goes on........................"
The mid-term election is next week.
There seems to be consensus across the political spectrum on one thing: This may be the most important election of our lives. It will tell us, and the world, a lot about what kind of a country we want, and the direction in which we are heading. It will send a message about the role America sees itself playing on the world stage for, at least, the immediate future. It will tell us a lot about what will happen in the 2020 presidential election. It will set, for the future, our values and aspirations. And it will determine where the power lies.
And while the pundits suggest the Democrats will regain control of the House, and Republicans will keep control of the Senate, there is more understanding - after the failure of those same pundits to predict Trump's victory in 2016 - about the races being really too close to definitively say what will happen. Of course, this is the pollsters hedging their bets so they don't look the fools they did last time, but it's a realistic understanding that there are simply too many variables to know for sure what will happen. The Democrats may win both the House and the Senate. Or the Republicans may keep control of both. The chances are pretty good that the Red States will become redder and the Blue States bluer - thus cementing the divide between Americans. But we don't know for sure what will happen.
That makes this election even more critical.
There are lots of people - on all points of the political spectrum - who will not vote. Some have washed their hands to the whole of the political process, believing it doesn't matter who is in power - nothing ever changes. A pox on both their houses as it were. There are others who believe a Democratic House and a Republican Senate is just a prescription for more gridlock and more acrimony among waring factions. Why bother? They reject, or fail to appreciate, the notion that checks and balances have any benefit to the country.
And there are lots of people who don't vote because they simply don't care; while others find it inconvenient. Still others will be the victims of attempts to, if not disenfranchise them, then make it very difficult to vote. Some claim they are too busy. And often times, inclement weather will keep people from voting.
There is also consensus that whichever side succeeds in turning out their partisans to vote, will likely be victorious. Trump is busy trying to energize his core base. The Democrats are trying to rally people of color, poor and young people - who tend to favor them. There are some signs both sides are succeeding, But to what extent remains unknown until the votes are actually counted.
So no matter what side you or your tribe are on, it is incumbent to try to get your people to vote. But historically, Americans do not turn out to vote in huge numbers, particularly in an off year presidential election. The single most important exercise in democracy - the act of voting - and as a country often we can't even turn out half of those eligible. Unfortunately, studies show that efforts to get out the vote, largely fail, and that it isn't easy to increase voter turnout. Even a record turnout would still leave a huge percentage of eligible voters who didn't vote.
Yet while there is no surefire, proven strategy or tactic to get your people to the polls, it seems axiomatically suicidal not to try.
Clearly we all have a stake in this election. Not just for what it might mean for our self-interest as the nonprofit arts, but for a thousand impacts it will have on the nation - for generations to come. So we should be trying to get out the vote, but where is the effort from our sector to do that? Where are the iconic posters touting the need to show up on voting day? Where are the stories included in our emails and newsletters, on our websites, and in our programs and on flyers? Where are the announcements from the stage or the podium? Where are the songs or poetry urging voters to vote? We talk so much about collaborating within the community on social justice issues - where then are those joint efforts to implore, beg, cajole, guilt or otherwise try to influence potential voters to show up?
Maybe I live in a cocoon, but I try to stay abreast of what is going on in the field, and I can't find much evidence that the arts are doing anything to get out the vote. Why not? I don't get it. Perhaps I'm just blind to lots of energy in this area. If so, I'm happy to be corrected. But if I'm right, and we just aren't doing much to get out the vote, then shame on us. Really.
I hope any of you who might be reading this can pledge to get at least one person to go vote; one person who might not be planning to vote. Somehow.
I did see a poster online that said this: "A FAILURE TO VOTE ISN'T REBELLION. IT'S SURRENDER."
The thing the last election showed us is that every vote does count, and it doesn't take that many to seal an election one way or the other.
Good luck America.
Vote. Please.
Don't Quit
Barry
Monday, October 29, 2018
Monday, October 15, 2018
The Relentless Barrage of Daily Interruptions Is Messing Up Your Productivity
Good morning.
"And the beat goes on......................"
The older one gets the longer it takes to recover from things, especially physical stuff. Where once your body would bounce back seemingly instantly, as your age advances that's no longer the case. You can and do recover, it just takes longer. Another one of the nasty little things about the golden years.
And speaking of recovery, there is now ample evidence that it takes increasingly more time to recover from the barrage of daily interruptions to your work productivity. This seems particularly true when you really need to focus on getting something done (e.g., a major report, grant application, presentation or ?). According to UC Irvine study, quoted in Training Magazine
According to an article on interruptions in Entrepreneur.com:
Oh dear!
Interruptions of any kind disturb the rhythm of getting work done. That's true if your brainstorming, writing, preparing a presentation, or working in other ways on a given project.
Is it then any wonder why what should take a finite period of time seems to take increasingly unnecessarily long hours to accomplish?
What can be done to minimize the negative aspects of constant interruptions, or really how to avoid many of those interruptions in the first place? We've got the deal with this issue for the simple reason that the demands on our time are increasing while our available time is not, and if the work that needs to get done, doesn't, then the enterprise (our part or the whole thing) is in jeopardy.
While you can't necessarily control all the interruptions your body must endure as you age, you can take some actions to, if not eliminate, then reduce the interruptions to your work situation.
There are some ways to block out the interruptions at least for those times when you won't get done what you need to get done if you don't.
Consider:
1. Simply ignoring incoming communications for a finite period of time. Let people know you're unavailable via email, texting or telephone for X number of hours on any given day or days. Don't worry if some kind of emergency comes up, people will find a way to let you know. And then resist the temptation to check for incoming messages via whatever platform. At least for a couple of hours.
2. Organizations can sanction and facilitate working at home on those occasions when you really need to be productive. According to a Rescue Time Blog post, a majority of workers cite personal visits or inquiries by co-workers as the most invasive kind of interruption (one that can't really be ignored). Of course, home has its own set of distractions and interruptions, and so you would have to specifically deal with those up front, but working at home doesn't have all the workplace distractions.
3. If working at home occasionally, as needed, isn't a viable option, then try to just get out of the office for and hour or two during the day. Go to your favorite coffee shop and work there. For many people that option is actually conductive to getting work done.
4. Ask your coworkers and other colleagues how they cope with the incessant interruptions in the workplace when they need to get work finished. Maybe they have their own approaches that would work for you too.
5. Close your door and put a note on it that says you are unavailable for X period of time. Do NOT Disturb. It's probably a good idea to advise people upfront of your intention to do this. And that notice may help them to respect your wishes and avoid the seemingly innocent: "Can I ask you a quick question?" Your answer to that ought to be: "You just did, and the answer is no."
Of course, not all the interruptions that threaten your productivity are external based. There are also the interruptions that have their genesis in your head. Often times when faced with a critical deadline or major piece of work that not only needs to get done on a timeline, but needs to be really superb when finished, our minds throw up blocks to getting it done. We have all experienced writer's block or some other form of an inability to hunker down to the task at hand. You may succeed in eliminating most of the interruptions that plague your concentration, but still not remedy the internal workings of your mind that will allow you to focus on the one thing you need to finish.
There are, I'm sure, tricks and techniques to deal with that challenge too. Google it.
Have a good week with minimal interruptions!
Don't Quit
Barry
Note: My own interruptions mean I will henceforth likely be blog posting every two weeks, instead of every week - at least for awhile.
"And the beat goes on......................"
The older one gets the longer it takes to recover from things, especially physical stuff. Where once your body would bounce back seemingly instantly, as your age advances that's no longer the case. You can and do recover, it just takes longer. Another one of the nasty little things about the golden years.
And speaking of recovery, there is now ample evidence that it takes increasingly more time to recover from the barrage of daily interruptions to your work productivity. This seems particularly true when you really need to focus on getting something done (e.g., a major report, grant application, presentation or ?). According to UC Irvine study, quoted in Training Magazine
"People spend an average of 11 minutes on a project before they’re interrupted. It takes them on average 25 minutes to get back to the point they were at before a distraction.Even after a 2.8-second interruption, subjects in a study doubled their error rates. And their error rates tripled after a 4.5-second distraction, says the Journal of Experimental Psychology."
According to an article on interruptions in Entrepreneur.com:
"Interruptions come at great cost. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that, on average, people spend three minutes and five seconds (see, it’ll be fine) on an activity before switching to another task, and 10.5 minutes before switching to a completely new project. And, they found, if a task is interrupted, it takes more than 20 minutes to fully adjust back to the task.
Other studies show that interruption scenarios significantly decrease work quality. Researchers at Michigan State University asked participants to complete a computer-sequencing-based task. Every so often, the participants were interrupted with a request to input two unrelated letters -- a task of 2.8 seconds -- before continuing with the sequence. Those interruptions led to twice as many errors in the sequencing task."
Oh dear!
Interruptions of any kind disturb the rhythm of getting work done. That's true if your brainstorming, writing, preparing a presentation, or working in other ways on a given project.
Is it then any wonder why what should take a finite period of time seems to take increasingly unnecessarily long hours to accomplish?
What can be done to minimize the negative aspects of constant interruptions, or really how to avoid many of those interruptions in the first place? We've got the deal with this issue for the simple reason that the demands on our time are increasing while our available time is not, and if the work that needs to get done, doesn't, then the enterprise (our part or the whole thing) is in jeopardy.
While you can't necessarily control all the interruptions your body must endure as you age, you can take some actions to, if not eliminate, then reduce the interruptions to your work situation.
There are some ways to block out the interruptions at least for those times when you won't get done what you need to get done if you don't.
Consider:
1. Simply ignoring incoming communications for a finite period of time. Let people know you're unavailable via email, texting or telephone for X number of hours on any given day or days. Don't worry if some kind of emergency comes up, people will find a way to let you know. And then resist the temptation to check for incoming messages via whatever platform. At least for a couple of hours.
2. Organizations can sanction and facilitate working at home on those occasions when you really need to be productive. According to a Rescue Time Blog post, a majority of workers cite personal visits or inquiries by co-workers as the most invasive kind of interruption (one that can't really be ignored). Of course, home has its own set of distractions and interruptions, and so you would have to specifically deal with those up front, but working at home doesn't have all the workplace distractions.
3. If working at home occasionally, as needed, isn't a viable option, then try to just get out of the office for and hour or two during the day. Go to your favorite coffee shop and work there. For many people that option is actually conductive to getting work done.
4. Ask your coworkers and other colleagues how they cope with the incessant interruptions in the workplace when they need to get work finished. Maybe they have their own approaches that would work for you too.
5. Close your door and put a note on it that says you are unavailable for X period of time. Do NOT Disturb. It's probably a good idea to advise people upfront of your intention to do this. And that notice may help them to respect your wishes and avoid the seemingly innocent: "Can I ask you a quick question?" Your answer to that ought to be: "You just did, and the answer is no."
Of course, not all the interruptions that threaten your productivity are external based. There are also the interruptions that have their genesis in your head. Often times when faced with a critical deadline or major piece of work that not only needs to get done on a timeline, but needs to be really superb when finished, our minds throw up blocks to getting it done. We have all experienced writer's block or some other form of an inability to hunker down to the task at hand. You may succeed in eliminating most of the interruptions that plague your concentration, but still not remedy the internal workings of your mind that will allow you to focus on the one thing you need to finish.
There are, I'm sure, tricks and techniques to deal with that challenge too. Google it.
Have a good week with minimal interruptions!
Don't Quit
Barry
Note: My own interruptions mean I will henceforth likely be blog posting every two weeks, instead of every week - at least for awhile.
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Getting the Most Out of a Conference
Good morning.
"And the beat goes on......................."
Note: Another surgery next week, so I will be taking a little time off to recover. Back soon.
I ran across this article in Forbes on "Getting the Most Out of Conferences and Events". The chief advice is to focus on what you want out of your attendance and then to plan.
There is no shortage of conferences in the nonprofit arts. Every discipline, every field of interest in the sector, every national service provider offers one. You could easily go to a score of more conferences each year if you so desired. And conferences run all year now. Senior leaders will usually attend one in their dominant field of interest. Unfortunately, because of budget constraints and the costs of attending these conferences, most organizations can only afford to send their chief executives (if they can afford to send anyone at all). Rarely do the more rank and file staffers get the opportunity, and that's unfortunate because it is these junior leaders who, arguably, stand to gain the most.
(While most conference organizers provide for early-bird reduced registration, I would like to see these organizers provide for reduced registration fees for attendees employed in the field for less than say, three years, as a way to perhaps encourage more newer staffers to attend. And maybe funders could provide more scholarship support for travel and lodging)
Conference attendance then is an important investment for those who do attend. How then do you go about designing an approach to attendance for getting the most from the experience?
The answer to that question depends on the time you have spent in the field. For all levels of administrators, there are two primary things to be gained from attendance: 1) Learning from the content of the sessions and from your peers, and 2) Networking: Meeting new people and rekindling long standing relationships. It is the latter that takes precedence the longer you are in the field.
I break it down into three broad categories:
1. The Initiates: For those relatively new to the field.
For all conference attendees, learning is the primary objective. But not just about job and job skills, but also about the sector as an industry - about the people and organizations who are the leaders and the players, and about how the sector works. Newer people need to see themselves as a sponge at their first conferences - soak up as much as you possibly can. The real purpose of these conferences though, is networking. Your goal should be to meet as many people in positions that relate to your job as possible - similarly situated staffers at related organizations, funders, researchers, etc. And secondarily, to learn as much as you can about doing your job - the content of the sessions.
Do two things before you get there. 1) Scan the session descriptions and decide which ones you want to attend. Zero in on sessions that have some bearing on what you do, but include a couple which promise bigger picture content so you gain perspective, especially if they are being led by people you want to meet (and introduce yourself before or after the session). 2) Most conferences make available to attendees a participant list as the date nears. Go over that list and note people you would like to meet and then make an effort to meet those people, at least to introduce yourself. It's a good idea to have business cards to hand out (and you should collect them from those you meet). Don't worry if you aren't able to meet everyone on your list. I've been to large conferences where I intended to get together with people I've already known for a long time, and yet, over several days, never managed to cross paths with them. Most conferences' plenary sessions at the opening of each day, and at lunch sessions, are open seating, and thus great opportunities to meet people -- and if you can place yourself next to someone you want to meet and converse with, you will have an opportunity for a virtual one on one conversation. For that reason, I never sit at just any table, nor am I the first one to seat myself. I wait until the tables begin to fill, quickly identify a table occupied by people I might want to talk to and those I might want to get to know. Even if your seat mates are serendipitously determined, that's ok, because often times you end up meeting someone who will make an excellent contact. Note too that keynote speakers are often inspiring and motivating, but few keynotes will offer you much practical advice that you can use, and thus the before, and during conversations with those at your table may be more valuable to you in the long run.
Networking and meeting new contacts is arguably the single most important thing you can do at these conferences; even more important than taking lessons from the content of the sessions you will attend. Despite the fact that there is an overabundance of information to master and content to absorb in our industry, we, like most businesses, are really about people and relationships. It's from people whom you will really learn your job and craft; it's people who will really help you with your career trajectory; it's people who will help you to brainstorm and inspire you to come up with new ideas.
In addition to plenary session seat-mate opportunities, there are several other situations that lend themselves to meeting people. 1) Arrive early to sessions and work the room. Introduce yourself to others (including the presenters and / or panelists) while waiting for the session to start and engage in conversations about the topic or whatever is on your mind. 2) The break periods between sessions are perfect opportunities to seek out people you want to meet and introduce yourself. And finally 3) Dinners and events are tailor made for networking. Most of the nonprofit arts dinners (and there is usually only one) are buffets and you can wander the room to meet new folks. And if the meal is attached to an arts organizations (often museum or gallery or performing arts venue), you have ample time to simply wander around and see what happens. Most conferences also have at least one dine-around where they put up lists for people to sign to be included in a dinner at a certain restaurant. It might be a table of complete strangers, and it might turn out fabulous. If you only dine with people you already know, you're wasting an opportunity to get to know new people.
Note on shyness. I know, for many people, the idea of going up to someone and introducing yourself - particularly if that person is a known leader with status and reputation - can be daunting. And I know some people actually have to force themselves, uncomfortably, to do that. All I can tell you is that 95% of the time, those you introduce yourself to, will be open, gracious and welcoming. We've all been new to the field, and most of us have, at times, felt awkward. My advice: try. You might be surprised. (And for the 5% who are stand-offish, well you're not missing much).
2). For the mid-career administrators: Those in the field for a few years.
The advice is essentially the same, but for these attendees you will already know many of your contemporary peers in the field. This is an opportunity to bond and cement relationships, to add new contacts, and to both hear and put forth new ideas and concepts and to learn from those peers. It's a time to find out from the field what is going on, what's working and not, what the issues are and where opportunities lie, as well as to brainstorm. This is preparation work for the next steps as these folks move closer towards being the next leaders of the field. If you know who will be there and who you want to see, you might contact some of those people before the conference and arrange a dinner or other time to meet. I use to do that at key conferences like AFTA and GIA by trying to set up dinners with six or eight people before hand. Some of those dinners were the best part of the whole conference - for me anyway. Try it.
3). The EDs and CEO's: The establishment.
As previously noted, unfortunately, because of limitations, this is usually the largest group at the conference. Some are newbies in their current position, but not to the field, some in mid career and some nearing the end of their tenures. For the newbies and mid-career leaders, this is about career trajectory - putting yourself out there, identifying future opportunities and assessing those opportunities might mean for you. For all of these leaders, the other goals are essentially the same: Meeting with new and established contacts to share information and experiences, and to learn what is going on around the country. For these individuals, the content at the sessions is usually an opportunity for refining their knowledge base, and hopefully stimulating a few new thoughts and ideas to share. The longer one has been in the field, the more this is about old friends and catching up. That is important because it helps one to reaffirm the plusses of being in the field in the first place. It's about renewal and revival.
Whatever you do in terms of networking, don't just hang out exclusively with people you already know well. That's squandering opportunities you paid for. Meet at least a few new people. And for those people you meet and have a connection - or want to - follow up with an email, or, a call. Begin to establish a relationship, no matter how embryonic. One final piece of advice: there is a lot of talking that goes on at conferences. Learn to listen and listen well. And please, if there are recommended reading materials and / or research available before the conference for a session you might want to attend, don't put that off until you are on the plane. Do your homework, if there is any, beforehand. If you give yourself more time to think about the subject, you'll get more out of the presentation, and you'll be able to formulate good questions to raise. Relax on the plane.
Attendance at conferences can be of enormous value to improving your knowledge base and skills levels, to your awareness of issues, to your ability to do the job better, to understanding the sector and how it works, and to meeting the wide variety of leaders within the field. It can be good for your job performance, and for your career. For all of those reasons, it is essential to maximize the precious limited time available at these events by doing some pre-planning - as to the sessions you want to attend and the people you want to see and meet. Of course, you have to be open to things just happening, and often they will, and you will sometimes be pleasantly surprised by serendipitous events. But you also have to plan, and execute your plan, to maximize the benefit of your attendance. Networking is both a casual event and pointed work.
Have a good week.
Don't Quit
Barry
"And the beat goes on......................."
Note: Another surgery next week, so I will be taking a little time off to recover. Back soon.
I ran across this article in Forbes on "Getting the Most Out of Conferences and Events". The chief advice is to focus on what you want out of your attendance and then to plan.
There is no shortage of conferences in the nonprofit arts. Every discipline, every field of interest in the sector, every national service provider offers one. You could easily go to a score of more conferences each year if you so desired. And conferences run all year now. Senior leaders will usually attend one in their dominant field of interest. Unfortunately, because of budget constraints and the costs of attending these conferences, most organizations can only afford to send their chief executives (if they can afford to send anyone at all). Rarely do the more rank and file staffers get the opportunity, and that's unfortunate because it is these junior leaders who, arguably, stand to gain the most.
(While most conference organizers provide for early-bird reduced registration, I would like to see these organizers provide for reduced registration fees for attendees employed in the field for less than say, three years, as a way to perhaps encourage more newer staffers to attend. And maybe funders could provide more scholarship support for travel and lodging)
Conference attendance then is an important investment for those who do attend. How then do you go about designing an approach to attendance for getting the most from the experience?
The answer to that question depends on the time you have spent in the field. For all levels of administrators, there are two primary things to be gained from attendance: 1) Learning from the content of the sessions and from your peers, and 2) Networking: Meeting new people and rekindling long standing relationships. It is the latter that takes precedence the longer you are in the field.
I break it down into three broad categories:
1. The Initiates: For those relatively new to the field.
For all conference attendees, learning is the primary objective. But not just about job and job skills, but also about the sector as an industry - about the people and organizations who are the leaders and the players, and about how the sector works. Newer people need to see themselves as a sponge at their first conferences - soak up as much as you possibly can. The real purpose of these conferences though, is networking. Your goal should be to meet as many people in positions that relate to your job as possible - similarly situated staffers at related organizations, funders, researchers, etc. And secondarily, to learn as much as you can about doing your job - the content of the sessions.
Do two things before you get there. 1) Scan the session descriptions and decide which ones you want to attend. Zero in on sessions that have some bearing on what you do, but include a couple which promise bigger picture content so you gain perspective, especially if they are being led by people you want to meet (and introduce yourself before or after the session). 2) Most conferences make available to attendees a participant list as the date nears. Go over that list and note people you would like to meet and then make an effort to meet those people, at least to introduce yourself. It's a good idea to have business cards to hand out (and you should collect them from those you meet). Don't worry if you aren't able to meet everyone on your list. I've been to large conferences where I intended to get together with people I've already known for a long time, and yet, over several days, never managed to cross paths with them. Most conferences' plenary sessions at the opening of each day, and at lunch sessions, are open seating, and thus great opportunities to meet people -- and if you can place yourself next to someone you want to meet and converse with, you will have an opportunity for a virtual one on one conversation. For that reason, I never sit at just any table, nor am I the first one to seat myself. I wait until the tables begin to fill, quickly identify a table occupied by people I might want to talk to and those I might want to get to know. Even if your seat mates are serendipitously determined, that's ok, because often times you end up meeting someone who will make an excellent contact. Note too that keynote speakers are often inspiring and motivating, but few keynotes will offer you much practical advice that you can use, and thus the before, and during conversations with those at your table may be more valuable to you in the long run.
Networking and meeting new contacts is arguably the single most important thing you can do at these conferences; even more important than taking lessons from the content of the sessions you will attend. Despite the fact that there is an overabundance of information to master and content to absorb in our industry, we, like most businesses, are really about people and relationships. It's from people whom you will really learn your job and craft; it's people who will really help you with your career trajectory; it's people who will help you to brainstorm and inspire you to come up with new ideas.
In addition to plenary session seat-mate opportunities, there are several other situations that lend themselves to meeting people. 1) Arrive early to sessions and work the room. Introduce yourself to others (including the presenters and / or panelists) while waiting for the session to start and engage in conversations about the topic or whatever is on your mind. 2) The break periods between sessions are perfect opportunities to seek out people you want to meet and introduce yourself. And finally 3) Dinners and events are tailor made for networking. Most of the nonprofit arts dinners (and there is usually only one) are buffets and you can wander the room to meet new folks. And if the meal is attached to an arts organizations (often museum or gallery or performing arts venue), you have ample time to simply wander around and see what happens. Most conferences also have at least one dine-around where they put up lists for people to sign to be included in a dinner at a certain restaurant. It might be a table of complete strangers, and it might turn out fabulous. If you only dine with people you already know, you're wasting an opportunity to get to know new people.
Note on shyness. I know, for many people, the idea of going up to someone and introducing yourself - particularly if that person is a known leader with status and reputation - can be daunting. And I know some people actually have to force themselves, uncomfortably, to do that. All I can tell you is that 95% of the time, those you introduce yourself to, will be open, gracious and welcoming. We've all been new to the field, and most of us have, at times, felt awkward. My advice: try. You might be surprised. (And for the 5% who are stand-offish, well you're not missing much).
2). For the mid-career administrators: Those in the field for a few years.
The advice is essentially the same, but for these attendees you will already know many of your contemporary peers in the field. This is an opportunity to bond and cement relationships, to add new contacts, and to both hear and put forth new ideas and concepts and to learn from those peers. It's a time to find out from the field what is going on, what's working and not, what the issues are and where opportunities lie, as well as to brainstorm. This is preparation work for the next steps as these folks move closer towards being the next leaders of the field. If you know who will be there and who you want to see, you might contact some of those people before the conference and arrange a dinner or other time to meet. I use to do that at key conferences like AFTA and GIA by trying to set up dinners with six or eight people before hand. Some of those dinners were the best part of the whole conference - for me anyway. Try it.
3). The EDs and CEO's: The establishment.
As previously noted, unfortunately, because of limitations, this is usually the largest group at the conference. Some are newbies in their current position, but not to the field, some in mid career and some nearing the end of their tenures. For the newbies and mid-career leaders, this is about career trajectory - putting yourself out there, identifying future opportunities and assessing those opportunities might mean for you. For all of these leaders, the other goals are essentially the same: Meeting with new and established contacts to share information and experiences, and to learn what is going on around the country. For these individuals, the content at the sessions is usually an opportunity for refining their knowledge base, and hopefully stimulating a few new thoughts and ideas to share. The longer one has been in the field, the more this is about old friends and catching up. That is important because it helps one to reaffirm the plusses of being in the field in the first place. It's about renewal and revival.
Whatever you do in terms of networking, don't just hang out exclusively with people you already know well. That's squandering opportunities you paid for. Meet at least a few new people. And for those people you meet and have a connection - or want to - follow up with an email, or, a call. Begin to establish a relationship, no matter how embryonic. One final piece of advice: there is a lot of talking that goes on at conferences. Learn to listen and listen well. And please, if there are recommended reading materials and / or research available before the conference for a session you might want to attend, don't put that off until you are on the plane. Do your homework, if there is any, beforehand. If you give yourself more time to think about the subject, you'll get more out of the presentation, and you'll be able to formulate good questions to raise. Relax on the plane.
Attendance at conferences can be of enormous value to improving your knowledge base and skills levels, to your awareness of issues, to your ability to do the job better, to understanding the sector and how it works, and to meeting the wide variety of leaders within the field. It can be good for your job performance, and for your career. For all of those reasons, it is essential to maximize the precious limited time available at these events by doing some pre-planning - as to the sessions you want to attend and the people you want to see and meet. Of course, you have to be open to things just happening, and often they will, and you will sometimes be pleasantly surprised by serendipitous events. But you also have to plan, and execute your plan, to maximize the benefit of your attendance. Networking is both a casual event and pointed work.
Have a good week.
Don't Quit
Barry
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