Conferences for Introverts

Why would you want to go to a conference?

1. Why are you going there?

Before you go

1. Research, follow and engage speakers
2. Research the location
3. Research extracurricular activities
4. Write down and learn your elevator pitch
5. Prepare talking points
6. Do you have a conference buddy?

Travel tips

1. Fighting jetlag

Stay where speakers stay

1. How I benefited from staying at “speaker hotels.”
2. How to figure out where speakers are staying
3. What if I can’t figure out the speaker hotel or can’t stay there for other reasons?

Managing expectations

1. You will be disappointed
2. The key to post-conference happiness

Default to Yes

1. How I refused to dine with Scott Hanselman
2. Default to Yes

Take breaks

1. Retreat to your hotel for a while
2. Do some work in a hallway
3. Go to sessions

Meals

1. Pass a plate
2. Sit at a crowded table
3. Note dietary preferences

Dress Code

1. My name is…
2. Wear your colors
3. Enhance your badge
4. Be yourself

Media

1. Know how they look
2. Twitter is your everything
3. Pressroom
4. Live recordings, meetups and side events

Speak at Conferences

1. Speaking at conferences gives you the best ROI.
2. Where do I start?
3. One way to cheat for a similar effect
4. What about stage fright?
5. Best public speaking advice I ever got

Once you return home

1. Follow-up
2. Turn negative into positive
3. Reflect and leave the door open

Summary

Appendix

The Secret to Beautiful Presentations

1. You suck, but your slides rock
2. Enter Stock Photos

Ode to Twitter

1. What spending the whole day on Twitter can do for you?
2. And the moral of the story is…

What’s next?

About the author