The Behaviorist Diaries

1/29/22

Current Mood: Excited

Listening To: Issues by Pentatonix

Dear Diary,

I am starting to get excited for the prospect of attending my first in-person conference since the start of the pandemic. I can only imagine the difficult decisions and logistics that conference organizers have been faced with during this time. As I start to plan for the conference, I feel a mix of excitement, as well as nerves (do my conference clothes still fit? do I remember how to socialize in a professional setting?). I am also taking the opportunity to reflect on why I really enjoy attending conferences. I think this may be different for everyone, and realize that not everyone does prefer the conference experience. Becerra and colleagues (2020) reported that a survey conducted by the BACB in 2018 showed that about 60% of respondents most enjoyed in-person professional development opportunities. Becerra, Sellers, and Contreras (2020) also listed some of the reasons why people might choose to attend conferences. Some of the reasons are ones that I, independently, have identified as my own reasons for going to conferences. Below are my top reasons for “conferencing”:

1. Stay Current with the Most Recent Research in Your Area: The day I realized that you could subscribe to receive an email of almost any journal’s table of contents each time a new issue comes out is the day my reading list grew exponentially. I have a running list of articles that I want to read which continues to grow longer. Additionally, I have found that since the start of the pandemic, the accessibility to online resources such as webinars and different tools, has grown tremendously. My point in saying this is that I always feel like there is never enough time to read and access all of the resources that I want. While attending conferences is by no means any kind of replacement for reading the literature, I do find that it helps to stay current and also identify the areas in the field where the most work and advances are happening. 

2. Learn Something in a Completely Different Area: I’m not gonna lie. I love to learn and I love to learn about behavior analysis. If there were opportunities to attend graduate classes at no cost, I think I really would be the perpetual student. There are sometimes presentations that I see being offered that are completely outside the realm of what I will, likely, be doing in my career. I find, however, that it can be enjoyable to learn about totally different and exciting applications of the science, “just for fun”. One of my favorite memories of this is still attending a presentation by Per Holth in which he demonstrated how he taught rats to play the piano (i.e., a keyboard of levers). In addition to being enjoyable, I find that doing this can really challenge me and require me to engage with concepts that are new or that I haven’t engaged with for a while. I also enjoy branching out of my usual professional circle a bit and getting to know a bit about some of the researchers who are working in different areas of the field.

3. Practice Your Presentation Skills: Presenting at conferences is something that I’ve learned is both exciting and still a little terrifying for me. I find presenting at a conference to be completely different than presenting at work and it’s something that I want to improve upon. Beyond conducting the research study itself (for empirical presentations), there are so many skills involved in presenting. There is preparing the presentation materials, orally presenting the topic in the allotted time, and responding to questions from the audience, just to name a few. These are skills that I look forward to developing whether presenting a poster or participating in a panel or symposium. I find that different presentation types require different skills and so practice with each can be beneficial. Hopefully skills learned within conference presentations also generalize to presenting in other non-conference settings as well.

4. Network with Other Committed Professionals: The social aspect of conferences is one that, though it can be a bit intimidating, is one that I think is most valuable in person. It’s always great to see colleagues that I haven’t connected with in a while. Additionally, you’re surrounded by a group of people who love behavior analysis. The opportunity to engage in spirited discussions about behavior analysis is one that I don’t always find outside of this realm. There are often structured events to help facilitate this type of engagement and then there are a number of natural opportunities as well.

5. Meet Your Idols: Conferences can be amazing opportunities to meet those in the field that you admire. I always feel so energized after seeing my idols present. I also don’t mind those accidental encounters in the elevator or at poster presentations. Many of them, if you’re brave enough to approach them, are very gracious to hear about the influence their work has had.

6. Bring Home a Bundle of Ideas and Resources: Whether it’s actual physical resources, lists of articles, or new ideas, I always find that I come home with more than I came with. The trick is figuring out how to utilize all of the resources (if anyone has figured out a tip for this, please send it along!), but it’s always great to have new tools and ideas.

7. Learn More about Your Interests (and Disinterests): I think that conferencing has helped me to learn more about what areas of work I am interested in (and what I’m not). Sometimes I’m surprised with where my interests lie and how they change over time. There are times when I’ve been in presentations where the audience is packed and I find myself not particularly engaged, and times when I’ve been in a room with a handful of other people and found the presentation to be so thought-provoking. The access to different topics and speakers provides the opportunity to sample so many different areas. Personally, I’ve found myself becoming more and more interested in some of the basic research literature over the years. Working in an applied setting, this is not an interest that is shared by all of my work colleagues. I’ve appreciated the opportunity to engage a bit more with this content at conferences where such topics are offered.

8. Be Inspired: As rewarding as being a behavior analyst can be, it can also be stressful. Sometimes the day-to-day responsibilities can be wearing. I find that, often, going to conferences can be energizing and renew my passion for the science. 

This is not an exhaustive list, but just some of the reasons why I value going to conferences. If this topic is of interest to you, I would encourage you to check out Becerra and colleagues’ (2020) article. They provide some really helpful strategies for attending conferences in order to make the most of the experience.

So now that I’ve shared my top reasons for attending conferences, what are some of yours? What do you most look forward to? Would you like to hear about some of my go-to events? Would love to hear your thoughts! Happy conferencing!

~Colleen

References

Becerra, L. A., Sellers, T. P., & Contreras, B. P. (2020). Maximizing the conference experience: Tips to effectively navigate academic conferences early in professional careers. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13, 479-491. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-019-00406-w