Post Event Glow

I spent this past weekend at a Toastmasters Conference in Ruidoso, New Mexico. The Conference was put on by District 23 Members. Everyone did an excellent job executing their portion to ensure that the event went smoothly and everyone had a nice time. There were speech contests, meals, socializing and lots of great educational breakout sessions.

The intent of those who organize conferences, workshops and seminars is to excite, inspire and motivate those in attendance. I often come away with all sorts of ideas, to do lists and new dreams. But then what? How long can that last? If you don’t turn those ideas, to do lists and dreams into concrete goals, the post event glow will fade quickly.

Here are some tips to converting the post event excitement into something that will propel you forward.

• Remember the difference between a goal and a dream. Take your big ideas and turn them into SMART Goals
  • Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, Time-bound
• Review your conference notes and materials. You wrote things down for a reason. Read them. Perhaps they need to be sticky note reminders of your favorite conference quotes.
• Maintain contact with your favorite presenters. In this day and age of email and social media take time to connect with your presenters. Thank them for their presentations and follow them on social media. Chances are they have more to share with you.
• Share what you learned. Not everyone you know will have the opportunity to attend the event. Share what you learned and the resources you discovered. (Remember to ALWAYS give appropriate credit for anything you share.) This will keep the information fresh and exciting.

You will be hearing what I learned at this last conference in the coming weeks. I came away inspired to make some changes in my messaging and focus. I look forward to your feedback.

When was the last time you were inspired by a workshop or conference? What did you learn that you meant to put into practice, but let it go stale before you got there? How will you reignite your excitement? I hope you will share your thoughts with us on social media.




​