Wash Your Hands poster generator - choose your favorite song

I just found a great thing on the internet --  a poster generator for hand-washing timing.  You can put in any song and it prints out a poster showing how much you need to sing to hit the 20 second mark.

I tried  "Love Shack" B-52s , "No Woman No Cry" Bob Marley, "Put a Ring on It" Beyonce and  even the Baby Shark song, and all were perfect.  Try your own favorite song, or maybe print out a few for your family.

https://washyourlyrics.com/  

Lisa

Registration for webinars and programs that have fees - what to do while we are out of the office

We've been sending out training opportunities for staff, and some of you have questions about those that charge a fee.  We will continue to pay these fees for staff, and the process to request funding is similar to the usual process. 

1. The staff member identifies a program they wish to attend.  There is a fee involved.

2.  The staff member creates a 354 request with a goals statement (and any registration information needed) and sends these by email to their supervisor.

3.  If the supervisor approves, they forward the email (with the form and statement) to their division chief with a statement like "I approve this."  If not approved, supervisor notifies staff member.

4.  If the division chief approves the request, they forward the email and attachments to SD&T, also stating "I approve this," or similar.  If not approved, chief notifies supervisor.

5.  SD&T will register the staff member for the program and pay the fee.  Staff member will get confirmation of registration from SD&T.

6.  When the program is complete, the staff member forwards confirmation of completion to SD&T.

Once we return to the library, the forms will be printed and appropriate signatures will be required.

No requests without the appropriate paper/email trail can be considered, so please follow the directions carefully.  

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Ten Tips for Comfortable Conferences

This is a great list for new attendees, or as a reminder for the seasoned conference veteran.

• Take a sweater/jacket even if the weather is warm, as the conference hall and session rooms may be glacial.  Dress in layers and wear comfortable shoes.  
• Take a refillable water bottle and keep it filled.  Top up at every opportunity.  You never know when you might get stuck in a session without water or start coughing during a keynote.  Fill it before you leave for the day to avoid having to buy $4 bottles of water at your hotel.
• Charge you devices frequently, for they will run out of power at the most inconvenient time.  One tip is to take a power strip with you, that way you don't have to fight for outlets, and you'll be a hero to other attendees.  The best option is to purchase a recharger that you can carry with you, but be sure you have all the cords you need before you leave your hotel.
• Arrive at sessions early where possible to get a good seat (or even a seat at all).  Aisle seats go fast, as do table seats that face the presenter.
• Carry baby wipes, or face cleansing wipes in case of stickiness or greasy food at lunch.
• If there is a huge vendor area, review the list and make notes of those you actually want to meet.  It makes it easier to traverse the vendor jungle and not get lost among the booths.  You also won't "miss" any really important companies.
• Take a small bag of mint/hard candy/breath strips in case of garlic at lunch (not gum).
• Check Amazon.com before buying books at the conference, unless you want to take them to author signings.  Often conference prices aren't the best price and you won't have to haul them back in your suitcase.
• Check the conference app (if there is one) for presentations and slide decks before the first day of the event.  Not only will this save photocopying, but in some cases you can get a sense of the program from the slides and decide if you really want to attend that program.
• Get in a line, it's a great way to meet people.  Lines for registration, meals, general sessions, and even the bathroom are ways to make contact with new people in a more casual way.  The movement of the line also helps keep the conversation brief and can give you a opening to the conversation.  "Have you seen the bags they are giving out this year? or "That lunch yesterday was interesting, I hope today we have better options."

Top 5 Tips for Networking at Conferences

One of the best things about conferences is meeting new people and making connections.  Here are 5 tips to help make the most of this opportunity.

- Take your business cards with you and have them handy at all times.  This is a quick way to share information with new people, and also to enter give-away events during sessions.  Many conferences are using QR codes on name badges, but physical cards are still a great way to make connections.

- If you take someone's business card, take a minute to jot a few notes on the back - who is this person, where did you meet, what did you discuss, what is your followup, or even a physical description in case you run into them later.

- If the conference has a "meet to eat" option, where you sign up to go out for meals, then sign up for these.  It's a great way to meet people in a more casual atmosphere but still with the conference connection.  Also great if you are the only one from your system at the event.

- Sit with someone new in breakout sessions and at meals, especially if you are with other staff members from your system.  Don't huddle together in a group, spread out and say hello.

- Get in a line.  Meal lines, registration, even lines for the bathroom are great places to meet people in a natural way and this has the advantage of limited time to talk so you won't get stuck in an awkward conversation.

Bonus tip -- Look up from your phone at meals and before breakout sessions.  Look around and try to meet the people sitting near you, rather than sitting with your head down and ignoring everyone. 

Some networking notes from the Association for Talent Development annual conference

I recently attended the ATD conference, and went to a relly interesting session on networking, called Networking for People Who Hate Networking.  In the workshop, they defined networking as creating meaningful and beneficial connections one person at a time.  This was interesting, as we generally think of networking as meeting a bunch of people at an event, but if you don't gain something from the interaction then it's just talking.

Both extroverts and introverts can be successful networkers; they just need to approach it differently.  Introverts don't have to fake being extroverts in order to network successfull, but they should do a bit of preparation before the event so that they can be confident in their interactions.  Introverts may have more difficulty starting a conversation, but they tend to develop more meaningful connections.

Here are some tips that you can use to improve your networking skills, regardless of the situation in which you find yourself:

• research in advance - what is the purpose of the event, why are people there, who is likely to attend and what connections would you like to make?
• volunteer to help with the event - particularly good for conferences or meetings since people are always glad to have help and you become an instant "insider" with lots of opportunities to talk to others
• arrive early to group events - it's less daunting and you have time to focus on each of the newer arrivals rather than trying to navigate a large group
• spot check before you arrive - are you pulled together?  Have your business cards handy?
• get in a line - this sounds funny, but often we meet interesting people while waiting in lines, and you never know who might be a good connection
• eat or (soft) drink before the event, this keeps that magic spinach from appearing in your teeth
• if you take someone's business card, take a moment to make a note on the back of who they are and why they talked to you, so when you follow up later you can remember who they wereand why you have their card (this works for vendor rooms too, what did you discuss with that company?)
• practice active listening, don't look over someone's shoulder when you are talking to them and focus your attention on what they are saying
• be authentic - don't try to impress someone, just share your information and thoughts
• don't hang on one person all night, you need to circulate (be a best-seller not a research tome)
• follow up after the event, remind the person where you met and what you discussed (from your notes on the business card), otherwise you aren't building a connection