A CRASH COURSE ON NETWORKING AT A SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE. Dr. Jenna Carpenter COES Graduate Seminar February 2013

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1 A CRASH COURSE ON NETWORKING AT A SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE Dr. Jenna Carpenter COES Graduate Seminar February 2013

2 WHAT S THE POINT? Registration and travel fees for conferences are expensive. Generally you have to travel a long distance to attend a conference. Often the audience for your talk or poster session is small. One VALUABLE activity which a conference provides is the opportunity to network but only if you spend time with people outside your own group. Why network? Meet potential collaborators Meet future reviewers for papers or grants Learn about new projects or funding initiatives Increase your own national recognition and knowledge about your work in the professional community

3 SO, HOW DO YOU NETWORK? Do Your Homework before the Conference Use your Time and Opportunities Wisely During the Conference Follow-up after the Conference

4 BEFORE THE CONFERENCE Plan ahead of time the sessions that you want to attend. Be sure to include invited lecturers, presentations by leaders in your field or people that you would like to get to know. Check these speakers out on LinkedIn or their website to learn more about their work. Let people know that you will be attending the conference Use Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter) to Your Advantage Contact some of the attendees Arrange to meet people that you know for coffee, lunch, dinner Volunteer to arrange a dinner meeting for presenters in your session the evening before to discuss the session, goals, content of your presentations, etc., or the evening after to discuss potential future collaborations, sessions, panels, etc.

5 BEFORE THE CONFERENCE Think about what you should wear at the conference. Dress just a bit better than those around you (if you aren t sure, the moderator of your session or ask someone who has been to the conference before) Prepare two elevator pitches (a 30 to 60 second description of your research that includes what you do and how you do it): One that your grandma could easily understand. Use this one for non-experts in your field One that is for experts in your field and uses the appropriate technical jargon and is scientifically flawless

6 DURING THE CONFERENCE Be sure to show up for the meetings you arranged before the conference and thank them for making time for you Leave some time for people that you meet at the conference Make sure that you name badge is clearly visible SIT WITH PEOPLE THAT YOU DON T KNOW at sessions and banquets Always start with May I join you? Pick out people that you would like to get to know better Pick out people that you have met earlier at the conference and with whom you would like to continue talking Find some people your age and make some new friends

7 WHAT DO I SAY? Ask more, listen more, talk less about yourself The goal of networking is to connect with people and to do so you need to know something about them Be genuinely interested in the other person, ask them questions, like: What is your research about? Do you have some exciting results thus far? What are the pros and cons of research in your area? What s is like to live in your city? Work at your institution? What were the toughest times in your PhD? What are your scientific plans? What is the most interesting thing that you have heard at this conference?

8 WHAT ABOUT SOCIALIZING? After a long day, it is okay to go out with a group of people to have some fun for dinner, sight-seeing, shopping, etc. It is okay to shift the after hours conversation to non-work topics like hobbies, anecdotes, etc. If you aren t sure about personal topics, just listen to the group to get a feel for what is okay. Watch the alcohol its best to skip the alcohol to minimize the chances of embarrassing yourself or having a hangover and maximize the chances of being fresh for the next day of the conference. Don t stay out too late. Remember, you came to the conference to network, talk about your work, learn about the latest developments, etc. You can party and sleep late when you get back home.

9 AFTER THE CONFERENCE Follow up! people that took the time to meet with you over coffee or a meal and thank them for their time, follow up with any promised information or next steps the organizer and the moderators of your session to thank them for inviting you to present, organizing the session, etc. the other presenters in your session to let them know how much you enjoyed and learned from their presentations any new people that you met whom you would like to get to know better and suggest that you touch base at the next conference any sponsors who may have helped support your trip financially to let them know how beneficial it was for you and your career (be specific about what you learned, who you met, etc.)

10 QUESTIONS?? Remember that you can find this and all of the presentations from our COES Graduate Seminars on the web at:

11 REFERENCE Peironcely, J., Crash Course on Socializing at a Scientific Conference Dinner, The Thesis Whisperer, January 23, 2013.