Conferences like Learning Solutions provide us with so many new ideas and information that can be helpful in our work. Once the event ends and our brains are filled to the brim with new information, it’s easy to lose momentum when returning to your everyday work and life. The first few days after being away are usually dominated by overflowing inboxes or playing catch-up on a project that had to take the backburner while you were away. All these tasks can cause even the best new ideas and intentions to lose steam.
Reinforcing the lessons you learned at Learning Solutions can feel like extra work. To make your learning last, here are a few steps you can take in the days and weeks following the conference.
1. Make a Game Plan
Take the time before diving right back into your daily routine to start writing out a detailed plan to make sure your ideas and goals are not forgotten. Think about what your actionable goals are and make a three-month timeline to ensure you’re setting yourself up for the long-run. Even just planning out your next week can make a major difference. Think of what one new idea that you want to build upon and move forward with is and a few things you’ll need to do next week to help get it moving.
2. Practice Makes Perfect
Although this might not be the most exciting part of the journey, practicing new skills only takes a small amount of time to make a lasting impact on your work. Putting new strategies into practice while they’re still fresh in your mind may actually save you time in the long-run because it will take less time to recall what’s already fresh in your mind. Set aside time to dig into what you learned and find ways you can become more familiar with it. Regular practice and experimentation can prevent those new skills fading.
3. Use Your Resources
Don’t forget about all those conference resources and recorded sessions you’ll have access to after the event. These are awesome for when you need a quick refresh! Maybe every other week, try watching a recorded session you missed live or download an event slide deck and browse the main points. Keeping the frequency of your learning regular can help ensure you’re maximizing the benefit of these additional resources.
4. Keep In Touch
Making a new connection is easy at Learning Solutions, but maintaining a connection after the conference ends is usually where attendees struggle. That’s why the days following the event are ideal for making sure you reach out to the people you met and start a habit of staying in touch. Take a look at the business cards you’ve collected. Reach out to other attendees you clicked with on LinkedIn. Maybe follow new peers on Twitter. Or even consider sending a super quick message to them once you’re caught back up at work.
5. Continue #SharingWhatWorks
You’re not the only one that can benefit from attending Learning Solutions! Share your new ideas with your colleagues. This will help build enthusiasm for moving forward and make each member of your team take on new ideas of their own!
Plus, if you’re looking to justify the cost and time of sending you to a conference, sharing how your experience benefited not just you but other people you work with can do a lot for making a case for getting to go back in 2023!
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