Masonry Magazine February 1994 Page. 47
Plan your travel schedule
If you anticipate differ-
ent arrangements than your arrival
trip, be sure you plan and under-
stand the right travel schedule.
Bring "show and tell" items
If you've had any unusual accomplish-
ments or successes over the past year,
bring "show and tell" items along:
samples of manuals, ads, posters, and
other materials you can pass around
to your colleagues.
Learn about your destination
You'll probably have an opportunity
for some travel and sightseeing when
you reach your destination. So put
your hands on a few travel brochures
before you leave, and develop a sim-
ple itinerary of the things you'd like
to see and do in your free time.
Conduct a personal "needs analysis"
Think about the problems and
challenges you've faced over the last
year and keep these in mind as you
select workshops and seminars dur-
ing the convention.
Prepare a master convention portfolio
Your master portfolio or
folder should contain a convention
schedule, a map of the facilities, note-
paper, samples of items you're bring-
ing along, and any other information
you might need regularly. Carry your
folder with you throughout the con-
vention.
Read about presenters before you attend their workshops
Read
about workshop and seminar leaders
in your convention bulletin. Learn
about their backgrounds and inter-
ests, and you'll better prepare your-
self for their presentations.
Sit in a strategic location during workshops
Sit where you can gain
a clear, unobstructed view of the
speaker and where you can offer
the speaker nonverbal feedback dur-
ing his presentation. For most people,
this means sitting near the front of the
room.
Bring a sweater to workshops and meetings
Most convention
workshops are held in "climate-con-
trolled" rooms, which are occasion-
ally too warm or too chilly. With a
sweater, you can dress to match your
personal comfort level.
Ask questions
A good work-
shop will always leave you brimming
with new information and ideas. But
remember: a workshop also gives you
the opportunity to ask questions of
experts and colleagues, and add even
more value to the gathering.
Don't take too many notes
That's right-watch out for excess
note taking. Your natural inclination
during a convention seminar might
be to take notes on just about every-
thing you hear. But notebooks overly
packed with data and information
will only end up in your your file cabinet
or desk drawer. Take notes on key
points only. These brief, power
packed notes will be useful to you
when you're back at your desk.
Keep an idea log
Your idea log
should be separate from your general
seminar notes. In this log, enter use-
ful "action strategies," or items to re-
search or follow up on. Carry the log
with you at all times, even when
you're not in formal seminars-and
enter useful ideas as they're triggered
by someone's comments. Later, you
can use the log as an action resource.
Meet as many speakers and presenters as possible
Perhaps you can
converse with a speaker for a few
minutes after his talk. Or arrange to
meet him for lunch. Keep your per-
sonal "needs analysis" in mind as you
discuss issues with the speaker. Lis-
ten for one or two great ideas or sug-
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MASONRY JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 1994 47