A Kindergartner's Guide to BizJam

<a href="http://www.bizjamseattle.com">BizJam 08</a> will be here in the blink of an eye. It's my first conference just for indie professionals and I'm excited. My friend Mary's son Connor started kindergarten this year. I have followed his adventure through Mary. This incredible boy—inquisitive, highly verbal and highly intelligent— makes starting school look so easy. This year, he has learned to share, to be a good listener, to make new friends, to ask for help when he needs it and to try new things. That's pretty good for a five-year-old. What's this got to do with BizJam? Well, having attended a gazillion business conferences in my day, I'm thinking that the Connor's of the world can teach us a thing or two about what it takes to succeed in the conference 'schoolyard.' What Kindergartners Know  1. A friend won't be a stranger if you invite them over to play before the first day of school. Now, granted, some conference organizers make this easier than others. BizJam uses Pathable Badges, that help you connect with name tags that identify the five people most like you and the five people least like you, based on your responses to an online questionnaire. That way, you can have an online play day and start building those relationships before the conference even starts. Take advantage of this cool tool to jump start your networking. 2. Be on time. Don't be the sorry kid who runs in breathless, just as the bell is ringing, clutching your lunch pail and your registration form. If you get there early, you'll be ahead of the game when it comes to personal networking, which is what conferences are all about.    3. Make new friends. Remember when your mom told you to introduce yourself to a the new kid and make her a friend? Still applies. Many of us stick with colleagues we already know and miss out on making new connections. Walk up to that person standing all alone. Who knows where it will take you? 4. Share your blocks and find ways to cooperate. You've heard it before, but collaboration works so much better than competition. Keep your mind open to all the possibilities when you look at conference connections. 5. Be a good listener, say something nice and ask questions. Shelve the Blackberry, the iPhone, the laptop with those e-mails that scream, "Open!"  Focus on the speakers, the attendees and the topics at hand. If the presenter offered helpful stuff, tell him or her so. They don't hear compliments half as often as you may think. And don't be afraid to ask questions. For every one you ask, there were probably ten people who wondered the same thing but kept quiet. 6. 'Bring' something for Show and Tell. If you have a blog, consider blogging from the conference. It's a great way to share with others who weren't able to be there. You could even provide links to other attendees' blog posts and enrich the conversation. A tip: Straight session notes make boring blog posts, because we all have enough information. What we need are people who can make sense of it for us. Consider throwing in your personal take, your analysis and opinion of the conference content and happenings.  7. Keep your promises. If you meet someone and promise to send something to them when you get back, write it on the back of their business card and do it 24-48 hours after you return. And don't forget the promises to yourself. When you have "a-ha " moments, and you will, write them down. Keep a running list (for example, change an employee's schedule for greater efficiency, buy a recommended book, contact a vendor). Even better, bring a self-addressed, stamped envelope and mail your to-do list to yourself so it's in the mailbox when you get back. 8. Don't forget to say thank-you. You will meet new people, make new friends, learn new stuff. Take a few moments when you get back to send a personal thank-you note to those people who made it a richer experience for you.  Believe me, you will make yourself memorable with that one small gesture, because so few people remember to do it. So  get out your lunch pail and backpack and I'll <a href="http://www.bizjamseattle.com">see you at BizJam!</a> 2008-06-24T22:26:53Z

2008-06-24T23:00:16Z

-20.9998

1086 1178

true

8523

a-kindergartners-guide-to-bizjam

2008-06-24T23:00:06Z

My friend Mary's son Connor started kindergarten this year. As we get ready for BizJam '08, we can learn much from the Connor's of the world about what it takes to succeed in the conference 'schoolyard.'

A Kindergartner's Guide to BizJam

2009-02-24T09:44:53Z