Recently I wrote about how an
accidental meeting with a Buddhist monk made me consider what I like most about attending industry and thought-provoking events (like our recent
Resilient Brands workshop).My unexpected monk meeting led me to take part in an all day meditation retreat. Meditation, like any other positive habit (even the pleasant ones), requires constant reinforcement. You don’t get fit by going to the gym once. The same is true of attending events and conferences. If you don’t take something away and integrate it into your working life, then the inspiration of the experience is lost.At Brilliant Noise, we think that’s a wasted opportunity, especially when we see how engaged and excited attendees have been at some of our previous workshop events. So here’s how to enjoy a lasting benefit from the time you’ve invested.
Stay engaged … somehow
If you like what a speaker has to say, follow them. If they have a blog, check it out from time to time. Most speakers put their email address on the final slide of their speech deck. I am always amazed by how few people actually use it. For example, when people get in touch with me after an event or speech, I’m always happy to hear from them.
Make the generic specific
Content at events is necessarily generic to appeal to larger audiences. But it’s always much more interesting to talk about your specific issues and how you can use larger concepts, frameworks or models to tackle real-world challenges. One of the best ways to do this is to spend some time talking to subject matter experts on how they developed their working models and how they’ve successfully produced good results in the past.
Try just one thing
We talk a lot about using simple pilot projects to test concepts and break through analysis paralysis. We offer a number of ways to do this, but the most effective entry point is to begin with a self-contained one-off project that produces immediate value.Your time is valuable. Spending it at an event or workshop is an investment in inspiration and your future professional development. Make the best of it by extending your involvement and putting some of that thinking into action.We offer a few ways to get started with this. Quick wins that create immediate value and customer insight that can kickstart future customer experience and strategy improvements.
- Conduct an expert review of your website, social media or mobile presence – it’s simple, straightforward and cost-effective, with high impact and actionable findings.
- Arrange a digital strategy, culture, content, brand or experience audit – we share best practices and approaches that really work, using frameworks and ways of thinking that create immediate value.
- Do customer journey mapping – it’s one of the most powerful experience transformation tools in our toolkit, and also a simple and cost-effective way to understand how your customers are trying (and often failing) to engage with your products and services.
Want to learn more? Get in touch –
hello@brilliantnoise
