Next steps once the conference, gathering, masterclass, meetup, seminar or workshop is over.
You took copious notes, a few selfies, responded to a few obligatory requests to connect on LinkedIn while sitting through 3-days of keynotes, talks and panels, and now, you’re thinking to yourself – WTF are you doing with all that inspiration? And all the potential in the connections you posted, shimmied and shined alongside?
Here’s your action list, whether the conference or event was last week, or last month:
- Scan those notes you took. Glance over the conference agenda. Reach into the bottom of your pockets for any business cards you collected. In other words, refresh your memory on who you talked to, and fire off a quick “it was great to talk to you at XYZ” email.
- Comb through the social media posts from the event organizer, are there opportunities to connect you’ve missed (see bullet point above)? If so, this is your opportunity to course correct.
- Remember the networking golden rule of giving, not just taking. What’s your post-event give? How about adding your take on a session or keynote in a comment on someone else’s post from the event? Or amplifying their post to your network with a repost?
- Bring non-attendees into the conversation by sharing a useful resource or idea or insight sparked by the event, or conversations you had at the event. This can be as simple as a ”I attended XYZ recently, and this session made me think of you…” email or a summary of the value of the event circulated to colleagues or offering to lead a lunch & learn or small group discussion to share learnings.
- Return to the list of names you sent off “It was great to talk to you at XYZ” emails to – and dive deeper into how to connect meaningfully with them, so a one time encounter has the chance of evolving into an ongoing relationship.
How to connect deeply?
It’s definitely not by asking for a coffee date or Zoom meeting, IMHO.
A brilliant example of how to move one time “there could be something here” encounters into meaningful connections, is activist, actor and non-profit thought leader Erin Cronican’s case study of networking prowess during 2020. While Erin needed to devise a way to meaningfully connect online – all her networking previously was IRL – her method of approaching networking with potentially valuable new connections, applies equally IRL and online. Find Erin’s case study in the Build Your Dream Network book bonus (free 74-page PDF download), read it and follow her example.
AND whatever you do, however you choose to reach out, ensure it is you, and not some AI generated slop. Nothing will cause the goodwill you created at the gathering of like-minds to dissipate faster than receiving a generic communication crafted in haste without context, meaning, or an ounce of humanity.
Is procrastination a positive or negative for you? The difference matters.
Psychologists at the University of Virginia found that college students who procrastinated positively or neutrally on other academic tasks performed the same or close to those who didn’t procrastinate at all.
Not All Procrastination Is Created Equal (psyche)
Tiny Task List:
- Send one personalized follow-up message to one person you engaged with at the event.
- Reach out to someone who couldn’t attend and share key insights.
- Share one idea from the event with your team or colleagues.
- Share one takeaway on a social platform that gives credit to the speaker, panelists or event organizer.
- Decide on one next step to turn a new connection into an ongoing relationship.
