Introduction

It is always recommended that in order to build a good research network, academics and professionals should attend more academic and professional conferences. Conferences are indeed an incredibly powerful tool in the hands of graduates, postgraduates as well as established researchers to interact face-to-face with other academics, share ideas, and network, at best, with an individual who may be friends for a lifetime.

Welcome to the second edition of the ‘How to build a Research Network?’ series, where today, we talk about Conferences.

Networking and conferences: the reasons why.

It is not only an opportunity to share the findings of your research you also can visit different sessions, meet key researchers and get acquainted with the latest trends in the topic of discussion. But the real worth is the acquaintances you get, be it other researchers, potential partners or collaborators and mentors. Through meaningful conversations, you can:

•Share ideas: Share projects and receive commentary from classmates and specialists.

•Learn from others: Get current with the research findings and approaches to practices.

•Identify collaborators: One of the best places to meet your potential research partners with whom you share skills and interests is at the conferences.

•Find mentors: Get advice from senior scholars on your work, on how to publishing your work and plan your career.

•Enhance your visibility: Networking means meeting other people in profession, other writers, persons or companies that may offer one a job, a place to publish or an invite to the next conference.

1. Preparation is Key

As Conferences are almost always valuable to attend, one should always set strategies on how they will go about them. Here are some ways to maximize your networking potential:

a. Investigate Conference and Participants

Look through the conference program and find those topics or speakers which may be of interest to you. If you can find the list of attendees, make your finalized list or note people or organizations you wish to meet. By creating categories to which discussions are registered, this will assist you in directing your energy and afford you background that you may require for more specific discussions.

b. Set Networking Goals

Consider what goals are to be met at the conference. Are you looking for users with whom you would like to work? Do you want comments on an idea, which you would like to conduct research on? The goal setting will assist you in keeping on track and also guarantee you optimize for the available time.

c. Prepare Your Pitch

Being prepared to explain your work in a thirty-second TV spot is also a useful strategy. Keep a clear idea of what you are going to say, in one minute to grab the interest of the person – also known as the ‘elevator pitch’. Tailor your pitch to different audiences: one must always consider the particularism of the contexts and use appropriate language as you are negotiating for a partnership or requesting for assistance from a fellow individual or asking for help from a superior.

2. Active Participation

Wake up, go to the conference, and embrace every chance of interacting with as many people as possible. Here’s how:

a. Attend a Variety of Sessions

Of course, it could be really helpful to focus strictly on the subject area you investigate; however, try to join different sessions. You will open your vision to get a larger set of individuals who can assist in reconsidering the approach to work. It will also mean that one is likely to bump into the other in many other situations that are not strictly work related and that are more relaxed to discuss things.

b. Participate in Questions and Answers and Group discussions

Do not be a mere listener—make sure to participate in questions and answers and other discussions. Being able to ask impulses, good questions is going to make you different and you are going to be able to show your interest towards that field. Sharing interests where you would like to find, or suggesting topics where you assumed your work might overlap can help build relations.

C. Communication within Formal AND Informal breakpoints.

Some of the richest relationships at conferences are formed during coffee, lunch, or cocktail hour or during organized parties. These environments bear relaxed settings through which people can comfortably start interactions. Go up and say hi to new people, even if you’re uncomfortable, most people are friendly and like to talk about hobbies.

d. Exchange Contact Information

Travel with business cards (or 21 st century equivalents, such as QR codes to your LinkedIn profile). When planning to accomplish a number of agendas during a conference, always remember to follow up with the people you meet while the moment is still warm. The last thing you could write an email of 3-5 lines thanking for the conversation and recommending some of the possible ways for cooperation or leave some hints on staking the conversation.

3. After the conference the first step that should be taken is asking participants to complete a short survey about the conference.

This is not the end of the work that needs to be done when the conference is over. Follow-up meeting is an important aspect of converting the initial meetings into more sustainable business relationships. Here’s what to do:

a. Send Thank You Notes

It is useful to send follow-up e-mails in chronological order and do that within a few days after the conference, you want to thank the people you’ve met. You may want to mention of a specific part of your conversation so as to make the message very sticking to their mind. One can never underestimate the value of showing appreciation, and a short and sweet ‘Thank You note sets the tone of the relationship right.

b. Connect on LinkedIn or Any Other Social Network

Get in touch with new contacts using LinkedIn profile, ResearchGate or any academic connection site. No more than 2 sentences to briefly jog someone’s memory and then state your reasons for wanting to stay in contact with them. Another way to let others remember you is to maintain your profile and have a list of recent studies in it.

c. Turn in the Chat

Of course, to warm up the relations with newly established contacts keep in touch occasionally. Using email newsletters, send them papers, articles, or updates on your research that might be helpful to them. It is equally okay to recommend having a subsequent conversation or working together later, because most academic ties progress with further interaction.

d. View Other Conferences or Events

Networking is not a one-shot activity that one does at conference and then relax and therefore should make effort to remain active in circuits of conferences. You will be able to attend more than one event within the same line of practice so as to enhance the level of awareness of your research work and create even larger network.

4. Leveraging Your Network

After that, it is meaningful to outline, how you can use those contacts in further – it is time to network. Here’s how:

a. Joint Research Ventures

Try to find researchers with similar research interests and propose them for the possibility of writing papers or conducting researching in teams. Conferences are important occasions in many ways, one of which is that many conference ideas may give birth to other related cooperative research work, culminating in great articles.

b. Request Feedback

Encourage your newly acquired network to view your work. Telling your work and seeking comment is a very effective method for strengthening the collaboration with peers and experts. It may provide you with better definitions of your concepts, a clearer understanding of your approach or even lead you to an entirely different line of enquiry.

c. Meet New Folks on Broader Networks

At times, the new contacts you have may include people who may introduce to you other people they know. Feel free to inquire if they know other Team members or Partners that may be interested in your study areas.

d. Stay Updated on Opportunities

Your network will help you know when a call for papers, funding or any other event related to your research is available. It will keep you updated with what is happening to your contacts and it will also open you up for better opportunities in your career.

5. Some difficulties and how to overcome them when Moving to an Electronic Health Record System

Attending conferences to network can be a stressful experience for anyone, especially introverts or person who are new to the academic system.

The few tips that help the common challenges:

•Overcome conference fatigue: I know everyone gets overwhelmed at some point during conferences. If possible, can take a session off and don’t feel that you must partake in all sessions offered. DON’T network with large groups of people; work with a small number and establish long-lasting relationships.

•Start with small groups: If large networking events is a problem, then begin by attempting to talk to one or two people in groups of few people. That is why it is usually easier to develop something like a serious conversation in a more close-knit circle.

•Use social media: To follow what is being discussed and possibly put forward or tweeted, participate in the conference by using the hashtag on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Conclusion

Conferences are special events when you meet people with similar interests, learn a lot, and form long-term professional contacts. The result is that overall strong personal network in the research field is built up with obvious personal and research advantages; Because of careful preparation, proactive participation, efficient follow-up and proper utilization of the connections gained, the candidate has everything ready for the further successful development of his/her career and research activities. Whatever your interest in collaboration, seeking advice on a possible research proposal or funding resource, or simply seeking the interaction of other professionals, conferences are the perfect context in which to develop one’s academic and professional person.