Smartphones & Conferences
One of the recruitment newsletters I read contained a review of a recent HR Directors Business Summit this week. The reviewer noted: "... with the prevalence of BlackBerry’s [sic] etc. it is increasingly tricky to network. What was happening was that as soon as a seminar/talk finished the HRDs would scuttle out and rather than grabbing a coffee and wandering around, they would switch their device on and check/send emails".
We see this at our conferences too - as soon as there is a break, people disappear into corners to make calls and check email. Of course, sometimes it can't be helped, there is a fire at home that requires our attention and those calls have to be made and emails sent.
A number of people have said to me, however, "I wish I hadn't brought this", meaning their smartphone, "It's distracting me". The aim of any conference is to learn, and we don't learn as well if our mind is half at home. And, we don't network effectively when we're hunched over our smartphone.
Be brave. Leave your stand-in with the conference organizer's details. If there really is a fire, they can send someone to get you. If not, you'll learn more effectively, and have time to meet new people. Which was the whole idea, right?
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Small Opportunities
That behavior is particularly concerning to me at conferences. The breaks are PERFECT opportunities to work on building your network with like-minded managers. Why pass on THAT?
The same could be said for those opportunities during breaks and just prior to and after work meetings. Why not take the opportunity to build your relationship a bit with that person from marketing that you routinely bump heads with? How about asking that person from Finance (that regularly approves or *doesn't* approve your capital requests) how you can help her for a change?
Ahhh, the opportunities that exist within small moments. I wish I could have some my past "small" opportunities back.
Mindshare at conferences or seminars
I work with a lot of Executive Education and Leadership Development firms and they ALL talk about how hard it is to get mindshare from attendees. Everyone leaves a job behind and a lot leave a family as well. Trying to get attendees to focus as much attention as possible on the learning objectives is a constant struggle for them.
Seems to me that a podcast on how to prepare to attend a conference would be of great help. What sorts of things can I do in the weeks leading up to a conference to ensure that I'm not forced to be checking email constantly? What should I tell my directs qualifies as a reason to contact me?
Great Blog post Wendii! Must be nice to be batting 1000, wish we could all be that consistent.
It helps your team, too!
Another reason to delegate, and empower your team members! Let them handle the minor crises of the moment.
So you get to network, grow in your role and perhaps move up. Your team moves up with you, taking on the tasks you once performed (because they're ready!)
That only happens if you give them the responsibility now, and step away for a while.
John Hack
It involved discipline and delayed gratification
BLUF: Focus on what you are doing and the people you are with.
Agreed. Using the blackberry at low value times is fine, like when I'm running my car through a carwash or I'm in a cab on the way to (yet another) hotel. But leave the blasted thing alone during high value times -- like breaks at conferences. What we're talking about here is another example of the tyranny of the urgent, perhaps not enough delegation (amen, John), and not recognizing times for investment in other people.
I recently listened to a Speaking of Faith podcast interview with Thich Nhat Hanh (Brother Thay; http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/thichnhathanh/transcript...), who spoke eloquently of the value of being present in the moment. There are the preparations for the conference, as Michael mentioned, and there is the mental preparation to be in the conference (in the moment). All too often, we allow our minds to flit from one thing to another, with the result that we are not effective at any of them. In the same vein, I'm working hard to be more present in the moment of whatever meeting I'm in with people. Of course, as a high I, it's easy for me to see the value of people and networking. But I can also have the attention span of a butterfly. I find that i need to practice focussing, and that such practice helps in ignoring distractions and focussing on people.
one more point
I think for a lot of people, myself included, checking my smartphone is an excuse not to meet new people. It's much easier to check email and see what's going on then it is to network. There's no fear associated with looking at my device and being out-going doesn't come naturally to me. Having that awareness that what I'm doing is specifically avoiding something that makes me uncomfortable, even though I know it's what I should be doing, is going to help me put my iPhone back in my pocket and go meet someone.
Thank you for your comments!
You've added some great additional thoughts. Thank you for your contributions.
Michaelclaw - thank you for the compliment!
Wendii