One of the persistent comments I’ve heard about our professional conferences over the past few years has been about how boring the presentations are. This comment comes exclusively from a handful of professionals who could reasonable be considered jaded by how long they have been in this business. The attitude is something like: I know all this already, there is nothing else for me to learn.
Let me make an important distinction here between the content and the presentation. Poor presentations are the bane of conferences. I cringe in a breakout session when the speaker reads from their Powerpoint slides, and – like everybody else – get really interested in my Blackberry.
The other comment often heard is how important it is for us to mentor and encourage newcomers to this field. This generally comes from that handful of professionals dedicated to counseling and supporting new arrivals – whether they are students or lateral transitions or retirees from other fields
Let me argue that listening to presentations we’ve already heard a hundred times is part of that support. When the mind is open, an experienced professional can hear different perspectives, new directions, developing trends. A real professional can get a sense of how to influence where this profession is going. A real professional will engage in the discussion and add the wisdom of his/her experience.
On the other hand, the professional who already knows everything, or is getting ready to retire and doesn’t want new ideas, will stand outside the meeting rooms and grumble there is nothing worth sitting in on.
This week, I’m at the IAEM-USA 59th Annual Conference and EMEX 2011, which has grown exponentially over the past five years with the increased visibility of Emergency Management. There were 3000 pre-registrations and the EMEX floor will have 200 vendor displays. There are important keynote speakers and almost 100 breakout sessions covering everything from sheltering pets to community engagement to special needs planning to (duh!) social media. Lots of exciting new people and ideas.
I’m already hearing both sides – “Don’t these guys know we already have that?” and “There is a real need for educated and accomplished people in this field.” – and the Conference doesn’t officially start until tomorrow!
It really is our job, as the seasoned professional, to model the behavior we want to see carried into the future. I’m hoping the grumblers will see this blog and do so.
