Don’t Send Employees To Conferences Without Doing These Two Things
If your involvement ends at approving attendance, you are leaving money on the registration table
Posted on 11-05-2019, Read Time: - Min
Share:
Conference season is around the corner!
Sending employees to conferences is a great way to expand their knowledge, reinvigorate them and infuse fresh ideas into your organization. It’s also an expensive proposition, considering registration fees, T&E and time away from the office.
If your involvement ends at approving attendance, you are leaving money on the registration table.
Instead, get a solid return on your investment – all you need to do is have two brief coaching sessions with the employee, before and after the conference. Asking open-ended, nonjudgmental questions to elicit greater awareness and responsibility will ensure you get your money’s worth and boost employee engagement at the same time!
Here are tips for each meeting, with some questions you can ask:
Here are tips for each meeting, with some questions you can ask:
1. Before the conference
Encourage employees to think critically about the event to make optimal selections for sessions. Having a clear understanding of the topics before attending also serves as an advanced organizer that facilitates learning.
Ask:
Ask:
- What do you want to accomplish by attending the conference?
- Which sessions did you select?
- How will these sessions help you achieve your objectives for the conference?
Second, set clear expectations for being present during the conference. The value of what they can bring back will be undermined by their efforts to manage their workload during the event. Explore actions they can take to disconnect and get the most out of the sessions, while minimizing the impact at work.
Ask:
- How can we use this as an opportunity to delegate and stretch your team?
- What can be put on a back-burner?
- What can I pick up or re-assign to free you up?
Next, set expectations for your conversation after the conference by setting up the meeting and the agenda in advance.
Ask:
Ask:
- When would you like to meet to talk about your key take-aways? I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts about putting them into action and what you might share with the team. Put the meeting on the calendar.
2. After the conference
Meet as planned, provided they have had ample time to reflect on the conference and to catch-up at the office. This conversation begins with your curiosity about their experience; work your way to transferring their take-aways to the workplace:
Ask:
Ask:
- What did you think of the conference?
- What surprised you?
- What were your key take-aways?
- How can you apply these ideas to improve your outcomes?
Finally, to get even more from your investment, ask questions to elicit ideas for sharing their take-aways with others. Teaching is a great way to reinforce one’s own learning and will extend the value of your investment to the team at the same time.
Ask:
Ask:
- Who can benefit from what you learned?
- How/when will you share your insights with them?
A little coaching before and after a conference will pay you dividends!
Author Bio
| Melissa Janis is Global Head of Leadership & Organizational Development at McGraw-Hill Education. Visit www.mheducation.com Connect Melissa Janis |
Error: No such template "/CustomCode/topleader/category"!
