Have you ever come back from a CIO Vietnam's talkshow and felt like you were not able to take what you learned and apply it to your company? No matter how good an event is, it will turn out to have little impact in your daily work. Between new subject material, long nights and trying to keep up with all the people you meet, it can be tough to apply everything you’ve learned. Here are 4 suggestions for preventing that from happening.
1. Come with a list of Questions or Concerns
Be prepared before joining a session – this will make a huge difference in your experience. This means looking at CIO Vietnam website and reading all about the topic you will discuss.
Look up the speakers and see what others have said about them and their sessions in the past. It’s also a good idea to write down a few general questions or concerns with a note taking application on your smartphone or iPad. It’ll help direct your plan in the session you are going to attend.
2. Ask questions whenever you have a chance
Once you attend to a talkshow, see if there is any gaps between the explanation and your questions or anything you’re confused about. Don’t be afraid to ask the speaker whenever you have a chance.
Sessions normally allow room for questions, but once the Q&A is over you can typically still go up and talk to the speaker one-on-one about something more specific to your business. We also have networking periods where you can follow up with speakers.
3. Attend the after parties
The biggest value of every talkshow is the after parties which we usually call "off-chai". This is where you will get all the good information and learn the most from speakers and other colleagues. When people are loose (have a bit of alcohol in them) they’ll end up talking and sharing almost anything.
Of course, people won't share their thoughts while you're pushing them…even if they are drunk. We better get to know each other first and if someone naturally wants to share information with you. That's great!
4. Note some key takeaways
The best time to start thinking about what your next moves is directly after discusion, while it is still fresh in your head. You should spend some time writing out the answer to your questions before and how you can apply the information you just learned to your business.
Here is an example of noting down key takeaways by ITviec(*) from attending the 27th offline, with topic: "Software Outsourcing Services from Vietnam: Business Opportunities and Success Story".
Lastly, if there is any tips you think we should include into the list above, let us know in the comments below.
Note: ITviec is a job website that specializes in high-level IT jobs for IT professionals in Vietnam.
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