Attending Meeting – How to Make It Worthwhile

“You can’t force everyone to believe in what you are saying.” This was what came to my mind during the seminar I recently attended. I tried to stop this nonsense train of useless thought when I remembered the things I learned from previous seminars.

There are three realizations from attending seminars or trainings. First is agreement. When we have this kind of realization, we tend to nod in agreement with what the speakers tell us. It is like a confirmation of what we have previously learned. Second is disagreement. This happens when the speakers tell us about some things contrary to what we believe in. Topics usually prone to this realization include sensitive or debatable topics like the speakers’ religious beliefs and political issues. Last realization is a surprise. It happens when you have a new learning from the seminar.

Of the three realizations, one isn’t better than the other. In fact, they can exist simultaneously. It’s normal that the speakers sometime inject their personal beliefs to their lectures. As a participant, it is your call to pick the gems from the training. Some lectures can simply be so dreadfully boring. It doesn’t mean however it is totally a waste of time. No matter how awful the training could be, I’m sure there are still good things about it. It only takes a little mental shift to find them. Easier said than done, I expected you to say that.

I have attended seminars that almost send me to the slumber world. With a little effort, I was able to survive it without closing my eyes. In my mind, I told myself that I have decided to drop my other priorities for the day for this training. Since I am here already, I need to be present here 100 percent.

After the seminar I’ve mentioned above, still I disagree with some of the things the speakers told us. I had to keep it for myself though. I didn’t tell them or any of my co-participants, that I disagree with some of their points. I had to keep it to myself. It would only stir up an argument or a fight. I don’t want that to happen. I didn’t want to ruin anybody’s day or mine. It wouldn’t be worth it. How to make our day worth it depends of how we see it.

When attending a seminar, here are a few things to make it worthwhile:

1. Be 100% present as I’ve already mentioned. It means being present both physically and mentally.

2. Be open-minded. Just try to pay attention and try your best to listen.

3. Be observant of everything that’s happening. Pick up both the good and the bad sides and learn from them.