Microsoft Ignite is the largest IT conference in the world and this year it comes to you as a free online event. With 520 speakers showcasing Microsoft’s enterprise products and services you are presented with a valuable learning opportunity.
Seven hundred sessions comfortably accessible from your living room or office can propel your career to new heights.
Regrettably, most of us fail to transform a conference learning into a new hands-on skill. This is because after the conference we return to hectic schedules and we get so caught up in being busy that we start to push the conference experience aside.
Think about your past conference experiences. How many times did you leave the conference feeling excited, fired-up, and eager to further explore something you’ve discovered at the conference, but then fail to create the much-needed margin and opportunities to delve into the details?
We live in a fast-paced, ever-changing, and complex world that demands the very best from us while constantly throwing new challenges at us, so there is a ceaseless conflict between the things you have to do and the things you want to do. We tend to rank our post-conference goals low terms of urgency and priority so over time the enthusiasm wears off - until the next conference comes along – and the cycle repeats itself.
Don’t let Microsoft Ignite 2020 be just another conference. Don’t let it be a spectacular three-day event that sparks something inside of you that again fades over time.
A mountain bike race revolutionized my conference experience
I once paid an expensive entry fee for a mountain bike race and at the time I did not even own a bike. I had three months to buy a bike, learn the essential skills, and get fit. I’ve set a goal, I’ve made a commitment, and I then had to work towards it. Not wanting to waste the money helped me remain dedicated. The event day was a lot of fun and I was amazed by how much I was able to accomplish.
The lessons learned from the unusual approach to my first mountain bike race was the breakthrough I needed to now get the absolute most from any conference experience.
I realized that too many of us think we need to wait for the ideal opportunity to learn and practice a new skill in the workplace. This is not true. Why wait for someone else or something outside of us to change for something inside of us to change? You must choose to create opportunities and time that allow you to go after your goals. Take control. Dedicate your personal time and energy toward it.
I implore you to try the following approach to help you get incredible value from the Microsoft Ignite 2020 conference;
- Pick a topic – Before the event, use the session scheduler to review available topics and speakers and pick one session as your primary focus. There are 502 sessions available and attend as many as you want but identify only one that you want to become an expert on.
- Make a Commitment – Before the event, schedule a meeting with a small group of people (friends or colleagues) for 15 days after the event and commit to presenting the topic you’ve selected as your ‘primary event session’. Step out of your comfort zone. Don’t wait until you feel you have enough knowledge. Commit and then prepare thoroughly. Doing this requires courage and dedication. You will be under pressure and you will have something to lose – you don’t want to be embarrassed. Now that you are under pressure to deliver a presentation you will have exactly what you need to stay committed to your goal!
- The conference – Notice how much more you are engaged during the conference and how much more you enjoy it – this is because you have identified a clear expectation and you have a keen interest. Make shorthand notes and triage the key points for further reading. Get hold of the fantastic learning material that Microsoft and MVPs provide. Connect with the speakers and delegates and keep the conversations going.
- Prepare & Work Hard – Research, learn, practice, work hard. Invest the necessary hours and work very hard. Manage your time wisely. Choose to dedicate late evenings and perhaps even weekends to this project. Visualize how you will deliver the presentation. Don’t second guess yourself. Enjoy the research, it is a rewarding learning experience. Recognize and appreciate your progress. Sense how much more you know than a few days before. It’s great, keep going!
- Deliver – the best presentation and demo you have ever done. Be bold. Be courageous. You are a rock star! They will love it. Don’t expect any recognition or accolades – you have done this for yourself.
- Lock-it-in – Enjoy the sense of accomplishment. You’ve successfully turned a conference session into a new hands-on skill. Unlike previous conferences, this one did not go out the window. The knowledge you’ve gained is permanent. It cannot slide, it cannot be undone. Well done.
I implore you to try this approach. Don’t let years of your valuable career go by without grabbing everything you can from amazing conferences.
Have fun!
