It’s been nearly a month after you left Orlando. Are you ready to spark some action, or are you already down the path of putting what you learned in Orlando into action in your organization?
One of the main reasons to attend
conference each year is to acquire new ideas and ways of
thinking, and then to bring those ideas back to your organization, make a plan and put it into action. Below we offer some advice for making the most of your experience – but before you get started, let’s make sure you have the proper plan in place.
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You won’t maximize your experience if you don’t put what you learned into motion after
conference. You can come and learn, but until you act as a change agent in your organization, you won’t reap the benefits of what the ASHHRA conference is all about. So be sure to follow through. Implement change and motivate yourself and others to be the change agent that your organization needs.
Below we share seven ways to ensure you get the most out of your conference experience:
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Don’t delete that conference app! The ASHHRA conference app is live and active until next year’s conference, so use it as a resource to continue to make connections and share ideas. Challenge each other to implement change. |
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Access learning session slides. Did you know that PowerPoint slides/presentations from most learning sessions are available on the app? Open the presentations in your browser, where you can then save them as PDFs and email them to yourself. Then use these as road maps to create your plan, and be sure to download the slides to the sessions you couldn’t attend. |
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Type up your notes. Remember those great notes you took in your ASHHRA Journal? Be sure to take the extra step to type up your notes. Typing handwritten notes allows you to further commit ideas and concepts to memory and allows them to be easily shared with colleagues. Once you’ve typed them, commit to bringing them to staff meetings and sharing them with others who may have not been able to attend the conference and/or the specific session. |
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Send a couple emails. Do not forget or put off reconnecting with those you met. Send an encouraging email, drop a line to say hello, encourage the sharing of ideas, say ‘thank you’ to someone—nurture the relationships that you created. You’ll see an immense return on your efforts. |
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Connect with others via social media. Set aside time to find colleagues on LinkedIn and Twitter. Reach out, send a message and establish the connection. This is an easy way to stay constantly connected and doesn’t require a lot of time do make it happen. |
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Fulfill any promises. Remember telling someone that you’d do something for them or connect with them about something after the conference? Don’t forget to follow up, follow through and hold yourself accountable. |
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Create your plan. After reviewing notes and the available slides, create a plan of action that puts what you took away from
conference in action. Start with just one idea that would be easy to implement. Pick one thing, or decide to make just one change, and make it happen. After that small victory, you’ll be more motivated to continue down the path to change. |
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 Written by Lena J. Weiner, HealthLeaders MediaAttending the ASHHRA annual conference is a reminder that professional conferences provide a platform for collaboration, which itself can lead to change, growth and progress.
"Collaboration" has become a bit of a buzzword. Sometimes it feels as though it's presented as a magical secret ingredient that, if said frequently enough, will cause organizations to become resilient, creative and successful overnight. I can't offer any promises regarding the results of collaboration, knowledge sharing with colleagues, or teamwork, but I can say that there's nothing magical about it.
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Carl McDonald, MSHRM, PHR, SHRM-CP
ASHHRA Annual Conference Committee Chair
Regional Director, Human Resources, Broward Health Imperial Point, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Share a little bit about the Conference Committee and the work that went into planning this year’s conference.
Being a part of the Conference Committee was a great experience. The group was focused on providing excellent speakers for the attendees and ensuring that everyone would have a robust learning experience.
What was your favorite moment from the conference and why?
My favorite moment from the conference was attending the pre-conference sessions. The pre-conference provided a sneak peek on what's to come for the rest of the weekend.
What learning session/general keynote inspired you the most, and what did you learn?
I really enjoyed the pre-conference session presented by Chip Madera. He was able to provide his message of the topic and keep the attention of the audience for four hours. Excellent work!
What advice would you give to other members who want to implement things they learned at conference now that they’re back at their organizations?
My advice would be to continue with the motivation and the tips that you learned over the weekend. Too many times, professionals go to conferences and get built up with energy and new ideals, but lose the momentum when we go back to the day-to-day. Take the time to get back to that inspirational high and focus on implementing some of the great ideals or practices to your organization.
What’s the number-one reason why we should save the date for 2016 in Grapevine?
To continue your growth of knowledge within the health care human resources arena. The ASHHRA conference provides a wide variety of learning experiences for entry-level to senior-level professionals. No other conference will provide sessions that will energize, motivate and teach you all at the same time. The ASHHRA Conference is definitely one that you don't want to miss. Not just one year, but every year. Can't wait for Grapevine 2016!
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- The conference received an overall satisfaction rating of 95.5% (up from 94.3% in 2014)
- 98.5% of respondents were satisfied with the variety of vendors, up 2.5% from 2014
- 99% who attended the pre-conference learning sessions were satisfied with the programs (compared to 90% in 2014)
- 80.4% of respondents downloaded and used the conference app (compared to 78% in 2014)
- More than 93.34% of respondents were overall satisfied with the Learning Sessions
What attendees had to say about the ASHHRA 51st Annual Conference & Exposition:
- "This was my first ASHHRA conference, I very much enjoyed my experience!"
- "The conference was very well done. Breakout sessions had a great
compliment of options, and the ones I attended were very valuable to me."
- "Location and hotel were great, food at the conference was fabulous. Speakers and topics were diverse and met all expectations, some exceeded expectations. Nice job by all who put the event together!"
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