So I'm just attempting to write up my post(s) about the the launch conference for the LIS DREaM Project, which I went to on Tuesday, and within two paragraphs I'd tangented (surprising, I know), and it turned into a whole new blog post about Fear and New Stuff and Scary People.
I’d been really very nervous, as I always am before conferences and training courses, about meeting and talking to all these New People who would, obviously, be much more knowledgeable, poised and fabulous than me. Indeed, I’d met hardly anyone there before, and most of them only once, briefly. But that was the point at which all that twittering away that I like to do justified itself...
Firstly, @bethanar invited any available London tweeple and #lis_dream1-ers out for a drink for when she arrived in town the night before. 'Aaargh, no, i-am-too-scared,' thought the inner voice of fear. I very quickly sat on her, and instead I carefully and consciously thought, 'Perfect, I can meet a small number of friendly delegates before I get there, so I won’t feel too scared.'. I very quickly tweeted back to say I'd be there, so I couldn't back out. It worked really well, because we had a fun evening, and it meant the next day I knew there’d be a couple of people there I recognised and had a bit of a relationship with already.
And secondly, the library twitterati* were out in force – of the 85 delegates on my list, just under half are tweeters, quite a few of whom I knew pretty well on the internet. It made me feel infinitely much more comfortable not just talking to the people I know online, but also (and more importantly?) talking to the people I’d never met before and didn’t know at all. That first plunge into actually talking to people on Twitter, which is a relatively safe environment that’s easy to back out of, made the subsequent much scarier Real Life experience much easier to cope with.
So, notes to self:
- Taking advantage of the pre-meet up was a Great Idea, do that again.
- Twitterers are, on the whole, similar in person as they are online.
- Keep doing new and scary things – they get easier with practice.
*Much like the glitterati, except more cardigans (no, really) and knitting chatter (it’s not just me, loads of ‘em love it!).
Isn't it funny, wouldn't think that you would be scared. As liaison librarians we love talking to people, and go out of our way to engage with people at various events such as library induction stalls. We talk to Important High Ups (e.g. Deans) and are great at networking so surely should be in our element at conferences.
ReplyDeleteAs a manager I try to encourage staff to go to conferences and events and to develop networks.
Sometimes it is daunting, but then remembering that you are there for a reason, and not only that for this conf you actually won a place so people wanted you to be there, can help.
Maybe other people are feeling apprehensive too? We're all human underneath, and as we're all librarians, we're usually all jolly good types.
I like the adding twitter names to badges. Wonder how you would feel going up to someone who you follow but who you hadn't been in twitter conversation with. Does that make you feel like a stalker? Oh hello, I follow you on twitter...
Rowena
I have a long-standing policy for fear: Pretend Not To Be Scared. It's a 'fake it till you make it' idea, and it's rooted in exactly what you've said: 'maybe other people are feeling apprehensive too?' - once I started confessing how nervous I got, other people said the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI've been accused of confidence before - you're not the first person to be surprised that I get nervous about this sort of thing - and that's why I've been trying to write about it, to show that there's a method to 'feeling the fear and doing it anyway'!
It's natural to fee nervous in a new situation, although of course you can feel excited too.
ReplyDeleteI also think there is the difference between 'professional at work' hat and 'professional networking' hat. Running a workshop or doing an induction can be a bit like acting, you're up there doing your job, and can put on a persona to do it if necessary. I always felt that induction talks in particular must be a bit like doing a stand up routine.
But at events, whilst you're still a professional, you're not doing an established work role, with a pattern to follow, and if you're having an off day you may not feel very chatty anyway.
So it's Ok to feel nervous, and to remember that other people may be too. Just remember that you are doing a really good job and deserve to be at the event!
Rowena