I recently attended my first (virtual) International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) World Conference!
I have attended the Canada West Region conference before (in person – back in the day) and it was so fun, so engaging and so interesting to meet people in the same profession whom I could relate to in a way that is rare to find.
World Conference, even though it was virtual, was incredible. I was impressed with the amount of engagement I felt, even though I was alone in my house. After a couple of particularly invigorating sessions, I called my colleague to tell her how excited I was about what I had learned and how it related to my job – even though it was 10pm my time.
Aside from some extremely educational sessions, in which I truly feel I learned a lot, there were also a lot of fun activities and quizzes (one of which I WON) and opportunities to just have informal conversations with professionals from all over the world.
One session that really blew me away was the final keynote speaker, Isidro Reyna, Senior Communications Specialist from NASA. NASA! It was not only inspiring to hear the communications tactics he used to reach potentially the most distant workforce possible (I mean, space!), but it was also incredibly interesting to hear about the advances we are making as humans in space. If you’re an IABC member and you missed it – sessions were recorded and I HIGHLY recommend checking them out.
There were too many good sessions to mention, too much fun connecting with people from across the globe, and too many inspiring lessons. Several speakers are also authors so I have a few more books added to my Need to Buy list as well.
The benefits of continuous learning are plenty and I am always trying to continue learning whether it be for my career or just a new hobby. I am interested to know what other people like to learn about in their spare time so let us know! Are you trying to learn about the latest marketing techniques or are you taking up knitting? All learning is important!
