I participated in a variety of experiences that demonstrate how changed thinking brings greater value to professional development. While change is often viewed as difficult, the goal—should you decide to accept it—is to get inspired by simply adopting a changed mindset—something that can happen in an instant in the right setting. You have the ability to make this choice.
Desired objectives to embrace: Get inspired, identify changed thinking, and modify approach to sponsored events using proven, innovative practices. Get results that exceed all previous expectations.
Approach
Having attended, planned, and/or participated in a number of professional events, I felt that many approaches limited their effectiveness. Instead, I have been fortunate to chair a series of conferences for project leaders, experiment with different approaches, and leverage best practices. I still find that many professional chapters have not embraced this model. They are stuck conducting professional development days and events the way they’ve always been done. For example, they believe members will not pay larger sums for higher value speakers, they do not compensate speakers appropriately, and do not believe speakers should be able to sell their books. A bias exists towards “free” and inexperienced presenters. Behaviors indicate a limiting, break-even mentality.
A revised model focuses on value-added: what approach results in higher valued take-aways for attendees? My “campaign” is to be an evangelist for revisionist thinking—there are better ways to conduct these events.
Through applying appropriate leadership skills, establish and share clear, convincing, concise, and compelling vision statements. Create dynamic sessions proven effective. Invite people personally known for content and speaking ability, as well as published works. Publicize each speaker in various media. Brief each speaker extensively about the audience. Provide long breaks and opportunities for attendees to network and share reactions. Limit announcements or other activities during meal sessions as they detract from interactions. Use prosperity rather than a poverty mentality in approaching events. Apply risk skills that allow innovative sessions because they are skillfully managed. Use a “day in the life of” approach to depict participant experiences, all the way from registering to end of the event.
Through my role as content and program director for a large cross chapter symposium, we established a vision statement and abandoned Call for Papers which often produced disappointing results; instead we invited people personally known for content and speaking ability, as well as published works and interesting case studies. We publicized each speaker, with pictures and book covers, in weekly Spotlight announcements emailed to all potential participants. Results: a waiting list twice the capacity of the university faculty club and the most financially profitable event in the chapter’s history. This was a prosperity rather than poverty approach to events that abandoned a break-even mentality. However, the failure to conduct a post project review meant the chapter did not inculcate this approach, and it subsequently snapped back to the “usual.”
Experiences
Previously, while working in a corporate project office, I chaired a series of highly successful conferences for project leaders and executives, each one eliciting higher attendance than previous ones. Lessons were learned about selecting speakers and sponsoring successful events. Subsequently recruited to speak to various chapters world-wide, I experienced both rewarding and troublesome experiences. Thus, I am able to provide these perspectives on applicable practices that make engagements more effective.
From my experience, and from others similarly in the project management training world, chapter volunteers are notoriously unprofessional with regards to communications. They might send out an invitation then take forever—or not—to make go/no-go decisions. Requests to determine interest go unanswered. Email replies are few and far between. Being busy with other “real” work is no excuse for unprofessional behavior—it reflects badly on the association. A greater adherence by volunteers to standards of professional conduct would go a long way to creating greater value, both within and outside organizations.
Know that the only constant in our society during the 21st century is change—technical changes, paradigm shifts, project manager behavioral changes. We need always to be ready to change and keep developing. We can do so because of a belief that we all have potential to be excellent; it means making a commitment to be extraordinary. If you are convinced that you can do it, you will achieve your goals.
Being excellent does not necessarily mean being successful; it means doing extraordinary things that you initially thought you and your organization would not be able to do. Everybody can put it in practice and try it. Experiment. Purge I can’t do it statements. Know that effective people relationships are the most important aspect. Put emphasis on others, not yourself. This journey may not be a path of roses—you may find a lot of thorns along the way—but if you believe, you can.
Embracing a prosperity mindset towards sponsoring professional events avoids the disappointment and marginal results arising from a poverty mindset. Focus on value-added and reap the benefits.
Concentrated efforts on tenets of creating environments for successful events means paying attention to the needs and take-aways of the target audience. It then becomes highly possible and probable that attendance and professional advancement skyrocket. Believe you can and you will.
Randall L. Englund, Executive Consultant, Author, Educator
Englund Project Management Consultancy