Training Conferences are Expensive

Let’s face it. Training conferences are expensive both in time and fees. But while training is expensive so is ignorance, so ignoring training conferences is not a very good option. The answer is to make the training conference have the biggest impact for your business. Here are five tips that you should follow when attending any industry training event.

Tip #1. Bring Business Cards to Training Events

This tip should be a no-brainer. Part of the benefit of training events lies in the connections you make when you are there. Make sure you have enough business cards to pass out. Let me also add that the cards must contain all your contact information, including business address, phone number and e-mail. Bring enough to be able to hand out liberally. I suggest a 100 cards minimum.

Tip #2. Bring a Notebook & Pen to Training Conferences

Research on learning has shown that note taking engages the mind in a way that improves retention. This fact explains why most attendees can’t remember what they were taught at a conference. In addition, good notes act as a storehouse of information for future reference. The fact is Google searches don’t answer everything and what it does answer isn’t always correct.

Tip #3. Bring Questions to Trainers

Attend the training conference with the goal to focus on key areas of interest. Review the conference schedule and topics. What specific talks and topics will help you resolve the biggest challenges facing your business? Attend those presentations that you have marked as important to your company’s goals.

Tip #4. Bring Your Curiosity to Seminars

While getting answers to your questions is important, it is also important to attend classes/presentations outside of your areas of interest. Why? Because thinking outside the box is the only way you will force yourself to grow and to think about things differently. I am not suggesting that you load up on classes dealing with subjects that you have no particular interest in. But you should attend a couple. This is particularly true for topics you “think” you have a handle on. Too often pest control operators and wildlife control operators think that they don’t need to attend a class because they already “know” it. But sometimes we think we have a good grasp of the fundamentals only to learn later that we in fact don’t. See an interesting article on this topic by Ulrik Juul Christensen. 2017. “How to Teach Employees Skills They Don’t Know They Lack.” Harvard Business Review. Sept. 29.

Tip #5. Bring Your Generosity to Attendees

If you are learning, take the time to share your knowledge too. Don’t be an intellectual scrooge. Share your insights and experience with others in the industry that aren’t as experienced or as knowledgeable as you. Keep in mind that our industry is pretty small. We need to help each other because in the end all we really have is each other.