3 ways to get the most out of an event

cropped woman with clipboardIt’s a common trend.

Show of hands: How many of you have attended a speaking engagement, workshop, or conference, taken copious notes of all the great information you learned, and then when you returned home, shoved the notebook on a shelf, which is not opened until months or years later, when you’re cleaning your office?

I recently attended the 6th annual Success Summit and Expo in Los Angeles. It is produced by Today’s Innovative Woman magazine, of which I am a featured expert and City Director for the Rochester, NY digital edition. Apparently implementation is a common problem because when one of the speakers asked that question, just about everyone in the audience raised their hands.

Here are the top 3 tips I learned to make sure you actually do something with the information you learned at an event:

1. Have a plan — Before you get home, create an action plan of the key takeaways were and when you plan to have them accomplished by. One of the attendees said she creates two lists: one for actions she can do the next week and one for those that are longer term. Being able to cross off 3-5 items right away helps build momentum while your excitement from the event is still high.

2. Delegate — We have to learn that we do not have to do everything ourselves. If you do not have an assistant, hire one and delegate tasks like entering all those business cards you collected of people you want to follow up with.

3. Commit– This is actually the most important because if you don’t make a commitment, the other two don’t matter. You made a commitment to attend the event, you made the commitment to be out of the office and away from your family, and you made the commitment to invest the money in travel and hotel expenses as well as whatever you paid for the event itself. If you don’t implement what you learned, you’re flushing all that money away. Is that your intention?

Please share your comments or opinions with me below. I would love to know how my content is helping you to Get R.E.A.L (realistic, engaging, authentic, and of the mindset you want to have a long-lasting relationship with your clients.) Don’t be afraid to ask questions or suggest topics for future blog posts. I am here to serve YOU.

Thank you for sharing this space with me.

Robin Taney, (aka the “Get R.E.A.L Girl”) is the owner and founder of Studio 4 PR.  She works with creative, independent, and “kitchen table” entrepreneurs who are highly motivated to be found by their perfect client. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, and sign up for mailing list  You are welcome to use this post on your blog, provided you do not alter it in any way and include a link to this blog.

Robin is also a co-author of the bestselling book, Navigating Entrepreneurship: Secrets to Put You on an Unstoppable Course, and City Director for the Rochester digital edition of Today’s Innovative Woman magazine. Click here for a free subscription or to learn more about advertising packages.