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This is part two in a series of three posts that will deal with preparing for a conference, etiquette during and after a conference.
So you are at the conference and it is break time. This is your chance to mingle and get to know those around you.<
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Comments
04.21.09
I hate the bullies at conferences. I hate them in most business organizations I'm part of.
It's an important thought I toss around at my office frequently "You can't sell a sales person." Personally, I would rather lose an account than win it by wheeling and dealing, that's just not who I am. But after 8 years in sales I know how to execute the wheel and deal. And I HATE it when people try to do it to me.
Whew! I just was caught in this with a business network I'm in and all the feelings resurfaced!
04.21.09
Thanks for writing this - I think this post can be applied to any type of gathering, internal business meetings and when folks meet with clients. These types never just surface at conferences.
04.21.09
@Elisa I understand your pain and completely agree (don’t you feel better getting that out there!). I think out of all the various behavior types I named, the bully is my least favorite. I don’t want nor will I ever play the bully game. To me being a bully indicates that you are willing to do anything at all cost just to get my money and could care less about making sure your products would actually benefit me—otherwise, you would spend more time getting to know me.
@Raven Thanks and you’re absolutely right. These types of people are everywhere and to me its worse being confined with them at a conference because there are often many team building exercises and it’s so painful to be stuck with one of these folks in your group.
04.21.09
I always get stuck beside the whiners for some reason. Sometimes they even whine about the conference. Makes you want to question why they came in the first place. Sigh.
Great post! Very applicable to pretty much any networking event!
04.21.09
@ Mehnaz Thanks and you bring up an excellent point—why complain about the conference? It isn’t going to make the time go by any faster. Even if the topic isn’t incredibly exciting, there is bound to be some piece of information that you can take away from the conference that you didn’t know beforehand. Unfortunately, these people will never know because they are too busy whining.
04.21.09
I do not attend many conferences, so I have been thinking about this list across a broader application, as Raven suggested. It's very true, good post. I thought I might also suggest an additional category...
The Angry Person. Someone who would always have something to complain about. To them, there is always something the team/event/boss/conference/meeting is doing wrong. Always something to be negative about. Always something that isn't working or someone not doing their job right. Those who are generally disgruntled would also say what the team/event/meeting/boss could do that would be right (how they would do it themselves), but they wouldn't really ever do anything about it.
Sounds a little similar to a Whiner, but their focus is not on the personal. I can't quite imagine someone going full-rant on a person they just met, but this type doesn't need to be in full rage! Either way, what a turn-off!
04.21.09
@Amanda The angry person is a good one! I used to work with a woman that I can count on one hand the number of times she smiled. Nothing was ever done right. It could be absolutely gorgeous outside and she would complain that was too sunny!
I honestly can’t relate to people who are constantly negative (life is too short!). If you don’t like your situation, then change it or do your best to adjust to the situation until you are able to something about it. Being angry is just hurting yourself.
Believe it or not, I have been to a couple conferences where I was "lucky" enough to sit by someone who felt the need to complain to me about their life. I’m not rude about and listen , but like you said its such a turn off!
04.22.09
Last fall, I met a 28-year-old guy at my organization's national conference that really impressed me. Here are some of the specific things he did:
1) He was relaxed and comfortable. He did not seem to be putting on his corporate face.
2) He talked about his "real life" a bit. For me, all business talk can make me uncomfortable. When I'm at a conference, I like to hear about where people are from and the little quirks of their neck of the woods.
3) He told me about a great idea he had for the conference, and I got him some face time with my boss (the president of our association). There was another guy at this conference who wanted me to do the same thing for him, but I wiggled out of it because I thought he was a tool.
4) He didn't talk to me like I was the old chick. I can't stand that.
04.22.09
@GenerationXpert Thanks for your comment. His (the guy you mentioned) personality sounds a lot like mine. You have to have a balance and be yourself and not be a pushy salesperson. I don’t want people to feel like they are being taken and nor do I want others to treat me this way.
I hope I didn’t give the impression that you shouldn’t talk about your life at all( I do this too). It’s just that some people don’t know how to have a balance and do not know what to keep to themselves.
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