“Industry events are packed with some of the best minds in your business. Whether they’re giving talks or hosting a stand, you’ll have a great opportunity to listen to the forerunners in your line of work and pick their brains.” – From “7 Reasons You Should Attend Industry Conferences”

I recently returned from the National Speakers Association (NSA) Influence 2023 Conference in Orlando, Florida. As a professional speaker, you must join NSA and attend their annual Influence Conference.

Toastmasters International, another wonderfully motivating organization, teaches you how to use your natural gifts to become an accomplished speaker.

NSA is all about your speaking business – great leads, great clients, and increasing revenue.

In reflecting on the NSA Influence 2023, I thought about three things conferences will give you when you attend. They are below:

Immersion to Recharge

When you attend a conference, you are emersed in three days of the very best presentations in your industry. For me, it was “rubbing elbows” and “picking the brains” of the top speakers in the world.

A conference is similar to a sabbatical for academics. It gives you a chance, even for a few days, to “lose yourself” and “sharpen your saw” in your industry.

Sometimes your motivation for your area of expertise may be flagging. Attending a conference in your area of expertise can “recharge your batteries” and significantly heighten your interest in your area of expertise.

My suggestion is to make a plan before you leave for the conference on how you will use what you learned to become more proficient and effective in your area of expertise.

If you have a business, this proficiency and effectiveness usually is measured by revenue. However, this is not always the case. It can also mean increased satisfaction in your area of expertise.

So, conferences allow you to immerse yourself to “recharge your batteries.”

They also allow you to network with people who have attained your desired goals.

Networking with People Who Have Attained What You Want To Do

All the business books say if you want to attain a specific goal, find out who has achieved your goal and do what they have and still do.

Dr. Napoleon Hill was challenged early in his life by the great steel magnate Andrew Carnegie to study the lives of the most successful men over twenty years and share them with the public.

Dr. Hill did this resulting in his mammoth tour de force of success book, Law of Success (1928). This book, although fascinating, proved too long for widespread popularity.

Dr. Hill realized this and “boiled down” the absolute essentials to his next book. You may have heard of it – Think and Grow Rich. Its longevity is astounding. Think and Grow Rich has been in print year since it was first published in 1937. You will find it online and on the shelves of bookstores everywhere.

Think and Grow Rich is a testament to what we can learn from the people who have attained what you want to do.

You wouldn’t be able to achieve what you want if you didn’t learn from those who have gone before you. It’s that simple.

I will caution you, though. Bouncing around chasing the next “shiny object” will gain you nothing. Concentrate on the lessons in your expertise of those who have gone before you.

Focused attention and implementation is the only way to get what you want. There will be obstacles, but if you want something, there is nothing on the face of this earth that can stop you.

Networking with people who have achieved what you want to do works every time. What better way to “start the ball rolling” than to attend a conference in your expertise to learn from the “giants” in your field?

So, conferences allow you to immerse yourself to “recharge your batteries” and obtain opportunities to network with people who have attained what you want to do.

You may be one of those esteemed people who have attained an unusual amount of success in your expertise. Is there a better way to leave your legacy than to give back to those behind you?

Giving Back to Those That Follow You

All the progress ever achieved in the history of the world was caused by following the lessons of those who have already tread the road you want to travel in your area of expertise.

A benefit of helping those who will follow you is the good feeling you will have.

Nurturing others with similar interests helps you, your organization, and the world.

Your mentees are not looking for a handout. They are looking for a hand-up. Help to give them that key to success in your common area of expertise.

Businesses realize that a mentor program is a “force multiplier” when it comes to harnessing their organization’s knowledge to raise their employees’ expertise level.

Conferences allow you to give back. Take advantage of the conferences in your area of expertise to give back.

So, conferences allow you to immerse yourself in your area of expertise to “recharge your batteries,” obtain opportunities to network with people who have attained what you want to do, and give you opportunities to pay your knowledge forward to those who will follow you.

Are attending conferences in your area of expertise worth it?

You bet they are!

Call to Action

Take the opportunity during conferences to:

• Ignore distractions and concentrate on immersing yourself in your area of expertise to get the most out of the conference in your area of expertise

• Network with others in your area of expertise and save many hours of your time doing solitary research

• Pay your expertise forward to those who will follow you in your area of expertise.

Frank DiBartolomeo is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and award-winning speaker, presentation and interview skills coach, and Professional Member of the National Speakers Association. He was awarded Toastmasters International’s highest individual award, Distinguished Toastmaster because of his outstanding work in public speaking and leadership.

Frank formed DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC (www.speakleadandsucceed.com) in 2007. The mission of DCI is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence their colleagues and other technical professionals by improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence. Reach Frank at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com and (703) 509-4424.

Don’t miss Frank DiBartolomeo’s latest book!

“Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Better Presentations”

Available now at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com