After you attend a conference, what happens to your notes? Do you really need them? If so, do you refer back to them? What about all those handouts?
When you return to the office, you want to hit the ground running. After a day back in the office, that important conference can seem like a distant memory.
If you're like many executives I work with, you probably won't look at your notes for some time, if at all.
So here are a few tips to help you find your focus and increase your effectivenss when you return:
* Find your notes. Skim through them. Identify any "keepers." Those are ideas, insights, or learnings
from the conference that you want to keep for some reason…and ideally act on.
* Share the most important idea with someone else, soon. When someone asks, "How was the conference?" You can say, "Here's what I learned …and here's what I will do…" If you talk about it, the idea is more likely to be implemented in some way, and payoff.
* Toss what you don't need. These days most handouts are also made available electronically anyway. Clear your office, clear your mind.
I created a short post-convention checklist of my own on my way back from the National Speakers Association (NSA) convention recently.
To see my notes and gain more ideas about applying your learning after a conference, see my WorkMatters Tips post:
http://gaylelantz.typepad.com/workmatters/2008/08/apply-your-learning-after-the-event.html