As the 2012 ASTD International Conference and Exposition draws to a close, arguably the most important part of your conference experience now begins.
Over the last few days, those that attended the conference (in-person or virtually) engaged in a multitude of sessions and content. As with all learning, what matters is not what happened during the event; what really matters is what you DO with the learning afterwards.
Now is the time to be thinking about that. I highly recommend that all attendees take some time over the next day or so to pause and reflect on what you have learned this week. More importantly, consider what it is you will be doing differently as a result.
Two important points: I mentioned to reflect over the next day or so. I think reflecting quickly is important, as it’s very easy to go back into the office and fall immediately back into our routines. Try to set aside some time (on the flight, during a meal, etc) to pause and think about what the most important things you learned about from the conference were, and how you can use that knowledge in your work.
The second point? Document and share what you have learned. This is a natural part of reflecting. It not only helps those you share your knowledge with, it also helps to better clarify and contextualize the learning for yourself. Share your reflections with your co-workers, your peers, and with the community at large using the #ASTD2012 hashtag.
I will continue to monitor the #ASTD2012 hashtag and will update my curated resource listing to add the valuable reflections that people share about their conference experience. Be sure to bookmark the site as a resource as you apply what you learned during the conference.
I’d also love to hear about what your key takeaways are from the conference. Please feel free to share them on my facebook page, found here: facebook.com/davidkelly.flywheelsites.com.
Thanks to all that have been enhancing our learning by sharing via the backchannel. I look forward to seeing you all in Dallas in 2013.
