Here are ten easy steps for success.
By Joyce Allard
The clock is ticking, and we are just days away from one of the region’s top professional development conferences – the KC IABC Business Communicators Summit.
For many of us, it’s a time to be back in person with friends and colleagues you haven’t seen since before COVID-19. For more than 30 college students, it will be their first professional conference ever.
I encourage you to take the time to introduce yourself to these students and engage them in conversation. The students may be nervous and not sure what to say. And students, don’t be afraid to start a conversation with someone you don’t know.
Conferences are about professional development, networking and making connections. The following tips will help you prepare and turn BCS into personal success regardless of where you are in your career.
Dress professionally – wear clothes that you would wear to your job, not sweats or jeans.
Take notes – if you talk to the speaker after their presentation, you can highlight parts you had questions about, or thought were interesting.
Take business cards or copies of your resume – if someone wants to be in touch with you, they have a physical copy of your contact information.
Get a good night’s sleep – then you don’t feel like you’re dragging through the day.
Review the schedule – find out which breakouts you’re going to and what time it is to gauge your time between sessions.
Divide and conquer – if you are going with a group, split up and go to different sessions and share the information with each other later. It will significantly enhance your experience.
Get three ideas – when someone is giving their presentation, figure out three big takeaway ideas that are expressed.
Silence your phone – no one likes it when someone in the audience has their ringtone on high and gets a loud interruption in the middle of the presentation.
Friendly follow-up – after the conference, it’s time to follow up with the people you met. Within a week of BCS, email everyone you met to let them know you enjoyed meeting them. This is also a good time to schedule a phone call or meeting with anyone you want to get to know better.
Don’t miss the social hour – It’s been a long day, but you should make the time to attend the social hour. This is the perfect opportunity to connect with people in a more relaxed setting.
Joyce Allard is a content writer at AnswerNet, former KC IABC board member and former chair of the award-winning Student and Educational Outreach program.