Attended a conference and met great people? Here’s what to do next
Many of us have attended conferences over recent months, taking valuable opportunities to learn, present and share our ideas and research. The question that often follows is: how can I translate this new energy and inspiration back into my day-to-day work? How can I make the most of the learning and the connections I’ve made?
The importance of strong professional relationships and networks is a frequent theme in this leadership insight series and a central focus of our coaching and professional development programs. Conferences often open the door to new connections and relationships that can have a lasting impact on our work and careers. You might, for instance, meet someone with a shared research interest or a senior figure in an area of influence relevant to your goals, connections that may prove valuable for future job opportunities, sabbatical visits or research collaborations.
Quick reminder - Why and how strong professional networks support you
Our professional relationships and overall network is a significant career support structure. When we develop broad and deep professional networks, we provide ourselves, our teams and workplaces with:
Social connection and trusted colleagues
Access to experts and expertise, often at the cutting edge of research and innovation
Opportunities to collaborate and join forces
Access to new information, opportunities and career pathways
How to capitalise on the connections you make at a conference or event
Meeting people at a conference provides an important opportunity to create new relationships, strengthen existing connections and broaden your network via those relationships – the people who can introduce you to others.
Dorie Clark, in her article 'How to follow up with people after a conference,' offers practical recommendations to help you make the most of these opportunities for connection by getting organised and acting promptly.
Make a note of who you met at the conference.
We usually only have time to take a business card, circle a name on the program, or scribble a name in our notebook.
The work is then to quickly and efficiently make sure you save the contact details of the people you want to follow up with – e.g., name, affiliation, where you met them, or some reminder of how you connected that will prompt you when you follow up.
Think about what you want out of this relationship
Do you want to send a connection request, say on LinkedIn?
Did you have a specific request? For example, to receive a copy of a paper or presentation? Or perhaps you would like to share something from your own work?
Did you want to develop a deeper connection? This is a multi-step strategy, perhaps involving steps a and b above, and then continuing the conversation around specific opportunities for work, job, research, sabbaticals etc.
Set aside some time to make these follow-ups.
If you decide that some of these connections are important, set aside some time in your calendar to make these follow-ups otherwise these actions can easily be forgotten and drop off the to-do list.
Remember that fostering professional relationships and networks is part of work. It’s a resource for you, your colleagues and your department/institution.
The role of social media such as LinkedIn
Social media platforms can be extremely useful in these situations, and LinkedIn is the most clearly defined professional networking site. While it is not the intention of this article to promote social media or encourage developing a LinkedIn page, it is an argument for having one and ensuring that it is up to date and reflects you and your work in the way you want it to.
Once you have such a page set up, it provides a mechanism to connect with others and to find further relevant information.
In summary, no matter how awkward it may feel to follow-up your conference connections, recognise that this is important work and timing is critical. Lives are busy, and once a conference ends, our days quickly fill again with everyday work. The skill and discipline lie in setting aside some time during or just after the conference to note the ‘important’ people and to follow up these connections in a realistic ad efficient way.
And like everything, we must prioritise. Our time and energy is not limitless, so pick three or five people to follow up and make sure you follow through.
By Dr Anna Clark
AMAV Leadership coaching and educator
Reference
https://hbr.org/2018/12/how-to-follow-up-with-people-after-a-conference
Dr Anna Clark (PhD) delivers AMA Victoria’s Leadership education and Leadership coaching programs (6 months) and (12 months). If you would like to find out more about our leadership development offerings schedule a discovery call or email [email protected].