Give Me Five #4 - How to Get the Most from Your Next Conference

Give Me Five! #4
by Tommy Johns

This is another in a series of articles that has a simple premise. The articles will take you less than five minutes to read (that’s when you give ME five!) and each will contain an introduction to a problem or concept pertaining to our work encouraging kids to read. Each article will also include a list of five ideas, reasons, tools, steps or other helpful items (that’s when I give YOU five!) related to the topic of the article. While none of these articles will claim to be the last word on any topic, I promise to make each one fun, well researched and way beyond the obvious. This one deals with:

There’s So Much Good Stuff at COMO!

If you haven’t already registered for COMO, stop reading this and figure out a way to make it happen. This annual event provides you with educational opportunities, chances for networking and relationship building, and exposes you to the newest books, technology, and products and services to help you become a more effective media specialist. Every year, people who attend find big and little, major and minor, expensive and cheap ways to improve what they offer their schools, students and faculty. It’s much too valuable to miss. Go ahead and check out www.gacomo.org, and register. This article will be right here when you get back.

When you go to COMO, you will probably do what many of us do every year when we go to a training event, in-service training, or our RESA consortiums. You will get a lot of great ideas, and then come home and do very little about what you learned. Here are five simple ideas that will make the training more enjoyable, worthwhile, and meaningful. Some of these come from experience, some from observing others, but all will make you realize the benefits of your training opportunity.

1. Before you go, do a self analysis. What areas do you need help in? Where are you starting to feel burnout? What part of the job is just a chore? In what way do you need to be encouraged, inspired, or motivated to get out there and, as Garrison Keillor says, “do what needs to be done”? Do you need new ideas about displays? Is collaboration a challenge for you? Do you have trouble finding the on switch on the video projector? Do you own systems that you don’t fully understand? Are you looking for ways to liven up your presentations? Do you have more money than you know how to spend and need to find some really cool expensive equipment? (I threw that in because everyone needs a good laugh now and then!) Once you have determined your greatest needs, make a list of the top 5-7 needs on the left hand side of a piece of paper, skipping about four lines between each item. Under each item, write a few thoughts about that goal. This is your shopping list.

2. Now that you know what you need, it’s time to go shopping! Look over the COMO program online at http://tinyurl.com/2kj3sp (This link is virus free – it just shortens a very long web address. Find out more at www.tinyurl.com). Print it out and highlight all of the sessions that would help you meet your most critical needs. Don’t get distracted by the “Meet the Author” reception or the Low Country Boil right now. Find the sessions that will turn you into a force to be reckoned with! You can add the other stuff later. Right now you are a media specialist on a mission!

3. Now take a look at the exhibitors list (http://tinyurl.com/2jq4a4) and see which ones offer solutions to any needs that are on the list. Maybe you need a way to reward your top readers. You might find a new database for your collection. There may be some equipment that you own that you need a company representative to explain. The exhibit hall can be as educational and helpful as the sessions, if you find what you need there!

4. Plan your time at COMO based on the lists you made from #’s 2 and 3 above. I know that this step is the most predictable, but it bears saying. Make sure that attending the sessions that will benefit you and your school are your priority, and schedule visits to the exhibit hall as well. No point in making a plan if you aren’t going to follow through! Take notes. Make lists of action items. Carry several pens and at least two highlighters to make sure you can quickly find the action items later. At the end of each session, take the time to write the action items or pertinent information on a single sheet of paper, so you can use it as a ready reference.

5. Don’t forget that some of the BEST sources of help will be the other attendees! Chances are that you are not the only one to experience the needs you listed in step one, and spending time networking with others, friends and strangers alike, can reap great benefits. Often (almost always) you will get ideas that you would never get anywhere else! Talk to others at lunch, at breaks, in the elevator – and be generous with your ideas as well. You never know just how much you can help a colleague by sharing something that might seem so easy or obvious to you.

Every time I go to a conference, a lecture or a workshop, I set goals and “shop” for solutions. Since I started doing this three years ago, I have found that I get a lot more bang for my training buck. If you’d like to have a copy of the Word® documents I use to prepare for training, e-mail me at tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com, and I’ll send them to you. Or come by my booth at COMO to pick up a copy. I’d love to meet you and hear what you think about this column, and how I can make it better. I’ll be in booth #142, under the big “Children’s Programs” banner. While you are there you can find out about the reading programs we offer for elementary schools and public libraries and register for some great prizes! I’ll see you at COMO!

Tommy Johns has been a school show presenter and educational entertainment specialist for over two decades. Find out more at www.tommyjohnspresents.com. He welcomes your comments and ideas for future “Give Me Five!” articles. You can contact him at tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com.