3 Steps to Getting The Most Out of Conferences and Workshops

3 Steps to Getting The Most Out of Conferences and Workshops
Once you return home from a conference or workshop, it's
easy to forget all the things you learned and promised
yourself you'd implement.

After all, you're back in your regular environment: your
family needs attention after you've been gone, work tasks
have piled up, personal items need handling. How are you to
"catch up" and incorporate all the new things as well?

Here's my simple process for ensuring I implement and put
new ideas into action as soon as I return from a conference
or workshop:

1. Create an Action List.

While at the workshop, I make an action list of all the
ideas I want to implement in my business - some are new and
some are refining things I'm already doing.

The important thing to note here is that I do NOT censor
this list - everything I think of goes on it.

2. Take a day.

If possible, take a day or 1/2 day when you get home to
unpack, get back in the swing of things and take a good
look at your Action List (mine usually runs 2-3 pages).

Review the items and decide which make sense for your
business right now, in the next six months and in the next
year.

Once you've separated the items into different lists, take
out the "right now" sheet:

Are there items which can be done in 10 minutes or less? If
so, identify those items and schedule an hour for each
group of 5 activities over the next week (this allows a
little extra time). This will insure you make steady
progress soon after the seminar.

Do you have bigger projects? No sweat, break them down into
smaller chunks -- 30 minutes at most -- and schedule them
on your calendar.

By scheduling these activities *on your calendar*, you'll
have a start and end time for getting them done and
ensuring you got the most out of your time at the workshop.

File the other two lists in your tickler file for future
action.

3. Follow-up.

Chances are you've met new friends and potential clients.

Now's the time to drop them a brief note and let them know
you're happy to have met them and follow-up with any
information you may have promised.

And, remember, if appropriate for you, thank the speaker
for the seminar and all you learned.

Your Coaching Challenge

Think back to the last conference or workshop you attended.
Did you create an Action List of things to implement in
your business?

If not, schedule some time on your calendar to sit down
with the workshop binder, go through your notes and create
an Action List of everything you want to implement.

Then follow the steps I outline above for getting them
done! I set the intention to get at least one thing (new
idea, better way of doing something, etc.) from every
conference or workshop I attend - after all, the cost of
attendance is high: money, travel, hotel, and, most
importantly, my time and energy!

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For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing
self-employed business owners how to get more clients
consistently by implementing processes and systems to put
their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at
http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client
testimonials and her free audio series "5 Simple and Easy
Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot".