January Summary of "Fast Company" Article Kari Fruechte

"The Conference-Commando Field Manual", by Scott Kirsner, January, 1999, p. 125.

Conferences and seminars are learning experiences that I believe are vital to my work, but sometimes I end up attending with a bad attitude, or not being able to attend the trainings that I feel would hold the most value to me. That's why I read with interest what this author had to say about choosing the best conferences and getting the most out of the conferences you attend. He even had pointers for me as a presenter at a workshop, which also applied to my work. The author confirmed a major reason that I have for attending conferences and learning sessions. That is networking. I have always found it very beneficial to come home with new resources in the form of other people I have connected with. It seems so valuable to communicate my work with others, because inevitably someone else is working on similar projects, or knows someone who is. In the aricle, the focus was more on business connections and gaining publicity, but I think in Extension, we need to do our share of p.r. and meeting the "right" people, too. The article stated that it is a waste of time to attend a conference without a list of objectives. I think this is something I will try to apply more. Going with my written goals in mind should help me get the most out of the sessions I attend. He also felt the the return on your time was much more important than the cost. Now that is something we may have to work on in Extension. Although, there are money sources out there, so if we really want to attend a training, there might be a way to do it. Other suggestions I liked that were made in the article included: attending conferences that were a little off your beaten path, not being afraid to leave a session that's not quite what you expected, participating in the outside activities offered, taking the right tools with you, and not feeling guilty for taking a break to talk to people. Sometimes we are too much like students in school and just go through conferences following a pre-arranged schedule. I took from this article the importance of learning at a conference in the style that is best for you, whatever that is. When I discussed this article with two coworkers, we got a little sidetracked to Extension's Annual Conference. That was always a conference we were expected to attend, it took 4-5 days out of the office, and it didn't always offer topics we were eager to learn about. We talked about the value of being able to choose more of the conferences both inside and outside of Extension that we were really interested in attending. On coworker really aimed at conferences outside Extension, but in his subject matter. He felt that the people he met and connections he made allowed him to stay current in his subject matter. The other coworker felt like she has so many meetings that she needs to go to, that she hardly has extra time to be gone to conferences. She is a part-time employee, and I can imagine that finding that extra time would be difficult. We all did agree that we wish we had notice of more conferences and trainings that were going on outside of Extension, and that sometimes we get notice, but at a very late date. I read another article recently that said leading edge firms spent $300 per employee in 1997 for training. (Business Wire, Jan. 12, 1999) The American Society for Training & Development claims leading edge companies realize they have to make smart investments not just in technology, but also in the workforce. I agree that keeping current in the nature of my job is very important to my credibility.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 1999

Answers

Kari Fruechte, Thanks for your discussion on the Conference-Commando Field Manual. You summary and diccussion were very well written. I have had many similar experiences with seminars. Often, the individuals who attend the training are those who least need it. Please watch your spelling and proofread carefully.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 1999

Kari Fruechte, Thanks for your discussion on the Conference-Commando Field Manual. You summary and diccussion were very well written. I have had many similar experiences with seminars. Often, the individuals who attend the training are those who least need it. Please watch your spelling and proofread carefully. Divide the text into paragraphs.

-- Anonymous, October 02, 1999