Thing 12: Attending Conferences
I've been to a few conferences over the last couple of years. It took a while for me to warm up to the idea of the Conference - being an introvert. I'm not a good mixer and I'm terrible at small talk. The art of making conversation is exactly that - an art - which I don't posses. I've read a few articles lately about how to function at a conference if you're an introvert and they say things like ' have a few ready made conversation starters ' , 'chat about the speaker' and it's all true. Most of the time this works. But I think a lot of people feel a bit introverted at a conference naturally so the conversation does dry up after a while. In which case you need an exit strategy like ' I just need to make a phone call' or 'I'm going to look at some of the stands' .
The most important thing to remember is that everyone is in the same boat. We're all there for the same purpose and it might take a few attempts to get the conversation going but once you start you might suddenly discover someone working on a similar project to you, or someone you had been tweeting during a twitter chat. I have found that the more conferences I attend the more familiar I am with the faces and names.
I usually go to the Public Libraries Conference when I can. It's the only library- related training that we get and it's worth going to. I always come away from them feeling inspired with new ideas. The downside is that i'm not in a position in my work to try out those ideas but I'm stockpiling them for the day when I can.
I also attend the Western Regional Seminar every year - I'm on the committee so it would be bad form not to turn up. I'm joking of course. I help plan the events and it's very enjoyable. A lot of work goes into the preparation of it. Because we cater for librarians of all disciplines in the West of Ireland the content is always varied and we cover academic and public topics.
I recently came back from a networking seminar in The Netherlands. This was like a conference with just the networking and none or very little of the conference. The purpose of the seminar was to find European partners to apply jointly with for funding from Erasmus+. The grants stipulate that you must partner with an organization in another European country, but it's very difficult to find the right partner. So Erasmus hold networking seminars where potential partners can gather and meet each other and work out ideas.
It was the most intensive networking session that I have ever attended! The organizers used games and other tools to break the ice which really helped (and I think I'll be stealing).
It was a huge learning experience for me and by the end of it I had lost all inhibitions about approaching people to initiate a conversation. I regret not bringing a card with my contact details - especially since my name is difficult to remember for other nationalities. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of people used QR codes to share their contact information.
I have recently moved onto the next level of attending conferences and started presenting at them. I recently presented at the New Professionals Day Ireland autumn networking event 'The Social Librarian' and really enjoyed it. More about that in Thing 20.
The main thing that I've discovered over the years is that the more you do it the easier it gets. If you're feeling nervous then try the short evening information sessions hosted by A &SL or the one day seminars hosted by the WRSLAI before going for the big two day conferences. And remember how welcoming and open Librarians strive to be in the workplace? It's the same in a conference, so there's nothing to be afraid of.
The most important thing to remember is that everyone is in the same boat. We're all there for the same purpose and it might take a few attempts to get the conversation going but once you start you might suddenly discover someone working on a similar project to you, or someone you had been tweeting during a twitter chat. I have found that the more conferences I attend the more familiar I am with the faces and names.
I usually go to the Public Libraries Conference when I can. It's the only library- related training that we get and it's worth going to. I always come away from them feeling inspired with new ideas. The downside is that i'm not in a position in my work to try out those ideas but I'm stockpiling them for the day when I can.
I also attend the Western Regional Seminar every year - I'm on the committee so it would be bad form not to turn up. I'm joking of course. I help plan the events and it's very enjoyable. A lot of work goes into the preparation of it. Because we cater for librarians of all disciplines in the West of Ireland the content is always varied and we cover academic and public topics.
I recently came back from a networking seminar in The Netherlands. This was like a conference with just the networking and none or very little of the conference. The purpose of the seminar was to find European partners to apply jointly with for funding from Erasmus+. The grants stipulate that you must partner with an organization in another European country, but it's very difficult to find the right partner. So Erasmus hold networking seminars where potential partners can gather and meet each other and work out ideas.
It was the most intensive networking session that I have ever attended! The organizers used games and other tools to break the ice which really helped (and I think I'll be stealing).
It was a huge learning experience for me and by the end of it I had lost all inhibitions about approaching people to initiate a conversation. I regret not bringing a card with my contact details - especially since my name is difficult to remember for other nationalities. I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of people used QR codes to share their contact information.
I have recently moved onto the next level of attending conferences and started presenting at them. I recently presented at the New Professionals Day Ireland autumn networking event 'The Social Librarian' and really enjoyed it. More about that in Thing 20.
The main thing that I've discovered over the years is that the more you do it the easier it gets. If you're feeling nervous then try the short evening information sessions hosted by A &SL or the one day seminars hosted by the WRSLAI before going for the big two day conferences. And remember how welcoming and open Librarians strive to be in the workplace? It's the same in a conference, so there's nothing to be afraid of.
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