As a keynote speaker, I attend a lot of conferences. One of the perks of the job, besides meeting amazing people, is having the opportunity to learn from other speakers.
Over my 20+ years of conference speaking, I’ve seen a shift of how people show up. In recent years, more people are on their laptops and phones when attending conferences. And no, they aren’t taking notes.
I regularly see people answering emails, working on a project and even scrolling Facebook during sessions. Some people spend the entire conference with their heads down, tuning out the speaker.
Here’s the thing. If you’re going to invest the time and money to attend a conference – be present! Turn off your devices and take in the information. This is a time for you to learn, grow and network.
Maximize benefits
When I see people multi-tasking at conferences, I think of what my fitness instructor reminds us during class. She says if you’re going to show up for a 1-hour class, make sure you get the most out of your time.
There’s a big difference between going through the motions of an exercise vs really focusing on the muscle you’re working. While it may take the same amount of time to do 10 bicep curls while zoned out vs focusing on the bicep, the results are much different.
When you focus on the muscle, you’re engaging it to work its hardest. You’re also avoiding compensating by using other muscles, lessening the overall impact.
The same goes with attending conferences. It’s better to show up and be completely engaged with the sessions that are of interest to you vs half-listening to a day full of sessions. When you multi-task your brain cannot fully take in what’s being said, meaning you’re likely to miss out on important nuggets or content.
Be selective
I get it. Not every topic on a conference agenda is going to excite you. The challenge conference organizers have is selecting a range of speakers and topics to meet the various needs, levels of experience and interests of attendees.
I encourage you to be selective. To maximize your learnings, it’s okay to pick the sessions you want to attend and skip the others.
Honestly, I do this at all the time. I find I have a limit in my ability to sit in a chair or concentrate on a presentation. By giving myself permission to skip at least one presentation a day (sometimes more), I’m able to break up the day by going for a walk, relaxing in my room or having a coffee with a colleague. This helps to recharge my batteries so I’m better able to take in the sessions that are of interest to me instead of zoning out.
Value your time
Before you head to a conference, do your best to protect your time so you can be fully present. Put your out of office alert on your emails to manage expectations about when you will respond. Change your voice message on your phone so people know you’re unavailable.
I get that emergencies do happen. But the majority of multi-tasking I see at conferences is simply multi-tasking for the sake of multi-tasking.
There’s a reason you’re attending the conference in the first place – to learn and hone your skills. Don’t let anyone sidetrack you from getting the most of your professional development time and budget.
Interactive experience
As a speaker, the quality of my presentation is reflective of the level of engagement in a room.
When attendees are engaged, making eye contact and interacting with my content, it helps me be at the top of my game.
When I see a lot of heads down or people tuned out, I have to work harder. This usually means asking more questions of the room, getting people to stand up or walking through the audience. Yes, my years of being a university instructor and having to keep the attention of 20 something year olds comes in handy.
I hope these tips serve as a friendly reminder of how you can be fully present at the next conference you attend. Remember – attending a conference is an investment in your professional development. Make the most out of it!