Careers – Page 16 – Career Life Institute

Top 10 Ways to Get the Most Out of a Conference

Attending a conference with other participants from around the world opens up a world of opportunities for growth, learning, and fellowship. Why not take a little time to plan ahead so that you can maximize the results from attending.

Set Goals Before You Go
Before you leave for the conference, write down some goals that you want to accomplish during the conference. These could include items about specific skills you want to hone, questions you want to have answered, people you want to contact, areas for which you want to have referral contacts, etc. Set three to five goals for each day of the conference (some goals may stay in place each day) and then hold yourself accountable for them at the end of the day.
Take Some Supplies
It's no fun being a thousand miles from the office and not having what you need. So be sure to think about what supplies would make your life easier at the conference. You'll want to take business cards, brochures, fliers on any books you've written, note pads, post-its, pens, pencils, highlighters, a permanent marker, and five manila folders (labeled Call, Write, Read, File, Receipts). You may also want to consider taking a stapler, some staples, paper clips, rubber bands, a calculator, and a small tape recorder for taking verbal notes. You won't need huge quantities of these items, so they will be able to fit into your suitcase or briefcase quite easily.
Dress Efficiently
Hotels and conference centers are notorious for having great variations in temperature from room to room. So dress in layers that can be removed or added depending on the temperature. Wear clothes and shoes (low heels for women) that are comfortable. You will probably be spending more time on your feet and doing more walking than you usually do at home. Also be sure to wear clothes that have pockets. Designate which pocket will be used to hold your own business cards and which one will be used to receive cards from others — you don't want to hand a prospect someone else's business card.
Be Attractive
Everyone goes to a conference to learn and have fun, but no one enjoys being around people who are boorish, self-centered, or needy. Before you go to the conference review the ways in which you can make yourself irresistibly attractive so that others will be attracted to you and the information you need will be drawn to you effortlessly.
Take Care of Your Body
While the excitement of a conference can get the adrenaline flowing, be sure to monitor how your body is doing. Take frequent breaks if you need them. Sometimes a short nap in the afternoon can make it possible to enjoy late-night fellowship without being worn out the next day. Drink plenty of fluids, but remember that coffee and other caffeinated beverages often cause "dry mouth." Try to stay as close to your normal eating and drinking pattern as possible even though it may be tempting to over indulge the alcohol, sweets, and rich foods. It's no fun being sick at a conference. Also remember that many hotels have exercise rooms and spas with whirlpools and saunas.
Maintain Balance
With the excitement and overstimulation that usually occurs at conferences, it will be important for you to take measures to maintain your balance. Try to continue any routines that you normally practice at home. Arrange for a wake-up call or set an alarm to get up and take a morning walk/run. Bring your book of daily readings and your journal to the conference. Do a bit of yoga or other exercise in your hotel room. Carry a small object in your pocket such as a favorite stone, an acorn, a special coin or medallion, anything which you can touch from time to time during the conference and bring yourself back to your emotional/spiritual center.
Network, Network, Network
A conference is a priceless opportunity to make yourself known and to get to know others. You've already set some goals that will get you started. Now be alert to other opportunities. Never underestimate the value of connecting with the "lesser known" participants — it wasn't too many years ago that the keynote speaker was a "lesser known". Remember to listen to what others have to say, but you also have to offer something to the conversation if you want others to remember you. Don't make any commitments that you cannot keep, even though it is easy to get caught up in the high energy of the conference. We all know that what goes around comes around. So work hard at being helpful to others. Perhaps you can offer a kind word or a lead that might be useful.
Learn From Every Experience
You will learn much from attending a conference. There will be wonderful speakers with much to share. You will learn a great deal as you network with colleagues. And there will be some mistakes you make that will also teach you important lessons. Learn from every single experience that you have. Write down the lessons and new information so that you can use what you've learned in the future.
Lighten Your Load
Conferences are great places to pick up "stuff." You'll collect business cards, brochures, handouts, and perhaps even books and tapes. Before you know it you will have more things to pack than your suitcase will hold. Plan ahead and lighten your load throughout the conference. Take some mailing labels addressed to yourself at home. Also take a few free priority mail envelopes from the post office as well as some postage stamps. The priority mail envelopes can be filled with as much as you can get into them and mailed for the flat two pound postal rate. It's much easier to mail a few pounds of material to yourself than it is to haul it back on the plane.
Maintain Integrity Back at the Office
When you return to the office after the conference, be sure to promptly do whatever you have said you would do. Those manila folders that you labeled Call and Write will help you remember what you promised. And don't forget to send appropriate thank-you notes.

_____About the Author_____
David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life — helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. Email David at dbentley@interisland.net (360)378-8436 or visit his website.

Completing the Year

As we move into each new year, it's smart to recognize who, what and where we've been. In our personal lives, as well as our careers, taking time to recognize and appreciate our personal foundation lets us continue to create goals in alignment with our vision for the future.

Here are some great questions you can use to:

remind you of what you've accomplished
recognize things that you have completed
create completion on things yet undone
recognize what you'd rather not 'do' anymore!
re-evaluate the vision of what you desire/want

We encourage you to play big here, jump in and have fun doing this…get some real answers and enjoy the process along the way.

Ready to play?

____________Completing This Year______________

Think about what you created this year. Which have given you satisfaction and joy? Which ones didn't turn out the way you wanted? Which would you like to change?
Now think about what have you completed (accomplished) this year. As you identify what you've completed, ask yourself what did you learn as a result? And how has that increased or solidified your foundation?
Is there anything that is incomplete for which you would like completion? What will it take to be complete, finished, over?
Now ask yourself, what are you through learning – that you don't ever have to learn again? And how has that added to your foundational strength?

__________Moving into the New Year___________
Now, think about who and where you are today. What do you want to create in the next year? What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to start?
What do you want to complete (from 1999 – or earlier!!) and what are you finally ready to let go of once and for all?
And finally, as you think about the next year, who do you need to become in order to have your life be exactly the way you want?

The most important step to creating the life you love is clarity – about who you are and what you want. Who you become creates the environment for having what you want. And remember, this as a work in progress, rather than a finished piece (just like life!!).

You can start whenever you'd like.Personally, I like to take stock each year on my birthday, rather than on December 31. It is the beginning of my Personal New Year. Many businesses use April 1 or July 1 as the beginning of their new year.

What matters is that you take stock and chose the path that takes you where you want to go.

Thanks to Business and Personal Coach, Alison Hendren (www.transitioning.com) for suggesting this process and providing some foundational questions that led to this article.

Create Reserves That Support You

NOTE: This article was originally written in 1999. It is still relevant today.

With Y2K looming, several groups encouraged us to have reserves of food and water available. Of course here on the Northern Coast of California we all know very well the importance of emergency supplies for power outages and earthquakes.

But how many of us have reserves in other parts of our lives? I sometimes buy the 4-pack so I have extras, and when I used to travel a lot, I had a full set of personal toiletries always ready to go. A couple of years ago I discovered the hard way that I need to always keep at least one extra month's supply of my vitamins – the supplier ran out and there was none to be had for a full month.

Well, how about in our careers and work life? Do you have an extra set of clothes ready in case you spill your morning coffee?? How about an extra set of car keys in case you misplace the ones you usually use? Do you fill your tank up with gasoline when it gets to half-empty? (I learned about that one with the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that took out all the power in the Bay Area and my only vehicle was on empty!!)

How about work – do you make back-ups of your important files on a regular basis? Just think about how much of your daily work you would like to have to recreate, and that'll tell you how often to back-up your computer files. Do you start each day with a basic plan so you know how much time you have available for each project? Do you build in time (every day) for emergency interruptions? You know they're going to happen. Do you have extra vacation and/or sick leave built up in case you need to take it? Are you putting money away for retirement?

And do you allow yourself enough time to finish projects so you are not rushed at the end? One of the keys to making sure your "customer" is satisfied is to under-promise and over-deliver.

How do you do that? When taking on a project, build in a cushion of time. While it's true that you might be able to complete a task or project in a day or a week (if everything goes right), we all know about the unexpected things that happen – the fire in the building (that was us!!), the key person whose son gets ill and is unavailable for 3 days, the computer that crashes or locks up and won't let you finish, the materials that came in late.

By allowing extra time, we have room for the unexpected to simply be an inconvenience rather than a catastrophe. Because we've built in extra time, we are in a better position to discover another way to finish the project or resolve the situation.

And if we finish early, we get to be heroes!! How did you feel the last time someone told you they'd have something to you within a week, but you actually got it two weeks later? How differently would you have felt if they told you it would take three weeks and then you received it a week early? It's the same time frame, but the perception is very different.

There are many places in our lives where a reserve would reduce worry, provide more satisfaction, make life easier and let us feel more powerful. As you identify those areas, begin to take the steps to build that reserve for yourself. You don't have to do everything at once, just start somewhere. And notice how much it adds to your sense of wellbeing in the world when you realize you don't have to worry about things because you are prepared.

The Efficient Cubicle

Many of us work well in comfortable disarray, but given the martinets some of us work for, the "mare's nest" look might not be the best way to go. In the interest of maintaining your promotion prospects, you should consider making yours into an efficient cubicle: a place for everything, everything in its place. Being neat doesn't mean you have to lose your individuality, though it does mean you might have to tone it down a bit; you might want to lose the Iron Maiden poster, for example, and replace it with a couple of nice collage picture frames filled with pictures of family. (If you're careful, no one will notice if you sneak in a picture of Eddie).

Neatness on order

What does it mean to be efficient? A good 90% of efficiency is saving time. If you can find the exact file you need in five minutes, or knock out a quote in fifteen, or calculate the cheapest route from Albuquerque to Hawaii with a few keystrokes, that's efficient. Generally, in order to be this efficient, you must be organized first; and to get organized, you need to start from the beginning. Set aside a block of time so you can clean your office, sort your files, create an intuitive filing system, and in general reduce the clutter. Reorganize and restock your supplies so you can get what you need in the wink of an eye.

Next, clear away some of your distractions. There's no need to strip your cubicle down to its bare walls, but do you really need to display 30 different photos of your Alaska vacation? Download them all into a digital picture frame and there they are — all cycling one after another, in a handy frame you can put anywhere, leaving your walls for more important stuff: phone lists, project schedules, memos from the boss, and Dilbert cartoons. If your cubicle happens to have metal panels or metal walls, you can make great use of magnetic picture frames and refrigerator magnets to hang these items on the wall. But whatever you do, don't use magnets to hang stuff on your computer, unless you really need a new one. Since electronic data is nothing but magnetically-oriented electrical impulses, a nice refrigerator magnetic collection on your PC is a great way to turn it into a date-free doorstop.

Electronic Efficiency

Speaking of computers, your cubicle's efficiency should extend to its electronic devices. Take an hour to defragment your computer's hard drive, clear the cache, and do the other things necessary to speed it up, then take a little more time to reorganize your computer file directory. Nothing says efficient like printing a document out on your boss's printer five minutes after she asks for it. In addition, be sure to use any organizer software you have on your system; many email programs include both organizer and scheduling functions that can help you keep your life in order. Alternately, consider purchasing an electronic or paper-based organizer of your own, one that helps you organize your week in a flash. Few things are as effective as a good organizer for straightening out a tangled schedule.

Published with permission (FCDMInc)