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Re: I'm getting a little scared of my Babble trip

Posted by llrrrpp on May 13, 2006, at 9:14:35

In reply to Re: I'm getting a little scared of my Babble trip » Deneb, posted by Estella on May 13, 2006, at 2:17:48

I have to go to these conferences a couple times a year, and I usually have many of the same things running through my head. A couple of things that help me a lot is that I have to remember that nearly everyone is a stranger, and they are strangers to each other too. It's a perfect situation to practice socializing 101. And the best part is that no one will remember who you are (even if you have your real name on the tag), so there are no repercussions.

During the day, people wear nametags, and if you see many people looking kind of shy , hanging out by the coffee and donuts, you can rest assured that if you go and introduce yourself "I'm llrrrpp, and this is the first time I've ever been to this conference" They will usually be so relieved to have a real human to talk to. Idle chat about the city of Toronto, their specialty, where they are from, if they have a restaurant recommendation. And so on, and when the conversation runs dry, you just move on "I have to go to another talk now, good luck with your presentation".

Another thing I do during conferences is I build in a couple of breaks. I find an hour or two during the day, and I go swim in the hotel pool, or go for a walk, or buy some crap at the mall. I find that conferences often have a lot of information, and my poor brain gets overloaded trying to keep up with all the latest research. You should keep in mind that you don't need to remember everyone you meet, or remember every study you hear about. If you meet some interesting person, ask them for their card "I have a terrible time remembering names of people I meet at conferences- do you have a card? I'd love to e-mail you and ask you more questions about your work"

Finally keep in mind that you have something to offer other people. All the psychiatrists and academics get bored with each other, and you have a fresh perspective about what the conference and workshops are all about. The pdocs get sick of talking about work for days on end, so feel free to distract them with interesting observations from an intelligent layperson.

Have fun!
I'm jealous that I can't go. Toronto is supposed to be a great place to hang out :)


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