{"id":2578,"date":"2017-09-26T14:49:57","date_gmt":"2017-09-26T14:49:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ona17.journalists.org\/?p=2578"},"modified":"2017-09-26T14:49:57","modified_gmt":"2017-09-26T14:49:57","slug":"irving-washingtons-strategy-introverts-ona17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ona17.journalists.org\/2017\/09\/26\/irving-washingtons-strategy-introverts-ona17\/","title":{"rendered":"Irving Washington\u2019s Strategy for Introverts at ONA17"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: Irving Washington originally wrote this post in 2015, but it remains extremely applicable today. We’ve refreshed it from our archives to make sure ONA17 attendees get this great advice.<\/em><\/p>\n

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ONA’s annual conference has landed in D.C., our team’s home turf. What began as just\u00a0a few hundred attendees to now over 2,500 people, the conference is one of the most exciting and energetic journo gatherings in the world.<\/p>\n

This also will be our largest conference yet. As a self-proclaimed introvert, I know that in large crowds we can be the life of the party or the quietest person in the room. (As a PSA to our extroverted friends, introversion has nothing to do with shyness or social awkwardness \u00a0\u2014 if I had a dime for every time someone doubted my introversion, I\u2019d be rich \u2014 but more to do with our response to stimulation and need for renewal.)<\/p>\n

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Having clocked in at nearly 50 journalism conferences and seven ONA conferences, I feel pretty confident the following strategy guide will help my #ONAIntroverts at ONA17.<\/p>\n

Have a \u201cstart early\u201d strategy.\u00a0<\/b>Nothing is more overwhelming to an introvert than attending an event where you don\u2019t know anyone. Eliminate this by connecting now with attendees online. Follow conversations on\u00a0#ONA17<\/a>,\u00a0@ONA<\/a>, and\u00a0@ONAConf<\/a>. Introduce yourself in our\u00a0ONA17 Facebook Group<\/a>\u00a0and join other groups such as our\u00a0ONA International<\/a>,\u00a0ONA Educators<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Diverse Social Media Editors and Digital Journalists<\/a>. You\u2019re most likely separated by two degrees from someone in the digital journo world. Scan the\u00a0speaker list<\/a>\u00a0and reach out to anyone you know or find someone to introduce you prior to the conference.<\/p>\n

Have an overall conference strategy.\u00a0<\/b>A common introverted procrastination technique is to just wing it. You\u2019re investing your time and money to attend, so spend some time thinking about how to make your experience the best. Do you want to learn a particular skill? Check out our\u00a0hands-on workshops<\/a>. Want to meet some awesome people? Schedule a chat with one of our\u00a0speakers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Have a networking strategy.<\/b>\u00a0I know. I know. The word \u201cnetworking\u201d alone makes introverts cringe. Not because we don\u2019t enjoy great people and conversations, but because we like to view our relationships as genuine and authentic. But ONA17 will have a ton of opportunities to develop real connections.<\/p>\n

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You should definitely plan to attend our\u00a0Opening Night Reception<\/a>,\u00a0Online Journalism Awards,<\/a>\u00a0ONA Local Meetup<\/a>,\u00a0events<\/a> and receptions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\nPro tips for social events:<\/b><\/p>\n

Get there early.<\/i>\u00a0Yes, it can be awkward when there is no one there yet, but it\u2019s also the best time to meet folks. Plus, the perfect conversation starter is talking about getting there early.<\/p>\n

Act like the host.\u00a0<\/i>This is perhaps the best advice I\u2019ve ever received. Hosts welcome, connect and make sure guests have a good time. You will make a ton of friends this way.<\/p>\n

Find the connectors.<\/i>\u00a0Some people are naturals at this. Meet as many of them as you can. They will introduce you to all kinds of interesting people. Some well-known ONA connectors you can reach out to in advance are\u00a0Robert Hernandez<\/a>,\u00a0Benet Wilson,<\/a>\u00a0Greg Linch<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Mandy Jenkins<\/a>. (Being the connectors they are, they all agreed to help my fellow introverts reading this post.) Blogger and author Tim Ferriss has a great\u00a0podcast on building a world-class network\u00a0<\/a>from his experience at SXSW, which is perfect advice for ONA17 as well.<\/p>\n

Plan your stories.<\/i>\u00a0By now, you know the normal questions at these shindigs: Where are you from? What do you do? What do you think of the conference? One of the reasons introverts shine as speakers is that we take time to prepare. Plan engaging stories to answer these questions in advance.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Have a session strategy.\u00a0<\/b>Networking isn\u2019t limited to social events. Here are some sessions that will help you keep meeting interesting people throughout the day.<\/p>\n