Build and nurture your online network to benefit your offline life.

That’s the focus of No Longer Virtual 2023, and here’s the agenda:

Monday, February 27, 2023

8:00am - Continental Breakfast and Welcome

Hosted by Sarah Elkins and Elkins Consulting Inc.

9:00am - 10:30am Tell Me About Yourself!

Small group discussions to be facilitated by Sarah Elkins and other NLV participants

Summary: What better way to answer this question than with a meaningful story that demonstrates what you do and why you do it?

It's an awkward question and we need to know how to answer it well. Not a 30 second elevator pitch, this workshop will guide you to uncover which of your stories will be best to answer this question depending on the audience.

Objectives:

• Identify what you want people to know about you depending on the situation

• Collect a few stories that can be used to answer this question in a variety of situations

• Practice your 3 minute story with a thoughtful group of professionals to help you craft and master your answer

10:45am - 12:15pm Shift from Unknown to Best Known

Workshop facilitated by Yifat Cohen and Amy Blaschka

Summary: For better or worse, in business being the best known beats being the best every time. You’ve seen this a lot, a much better product is available for the same price, but because of brand awareness, the lower quality gets more business. In this session we’ll explore how to become better known without spending all of your time and energy making that happen.

Objectives:

• Build your road map to transition from the Best Kept Secret to Best Known in your area of expertise

• Learn and practice a counter-intuitive hack to eliminate the friction of content creation, and make it FUN (and even addictive)

• Gain tools to stay consistent and on message without investing hours of your life

Lunch on your own

1:30pm - 3:00pm Stress-Free Business Development

Workshop facilitated by Reuben Swartz and tbd

Summary: If you love serving clients but don't enjoy the sales and marketing part of your business, join this session to learn how to make business development actually fun. Building on Yifat Cohen's discussion of standing out in a crowd, use that positioning to attract the right people to the right conversations, without stress.

Objectives:

• Develop solid strategies for getting more and better referrals.

• Learn to get leads and conversations from your website.

• Expand your understanding of how to nurture relationships in a way that builds business.

3:30pm - 5:00pm Field Trip: Surprise Venue

small group exploration followed by de-briefing

Get ready to explore a nearby location for this session! In small groups, you’ll receive your instructions before you leave the meeting space, walk to a nearby venue, and return for a de-briefing about your experience.

In 2020 we visited the Art Institute of Chicago for a field trip and the off-site adventure was a huge hit. Get ready for some fun and insightful exploration of a nearby museum.

Objectives:

• Spend time getting to know your NLV community in a fun and expected environment.

• Develop ideas for content development in the context of history - and how it informs our present and future.

• Explore a new location with specific observational goals through a planned and fluid exercise.

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

9:00am - 10:30am Innovation Sits at the Intersection of Curiosity, Human Interaction, and Need

Workshop facilitated by Jeff Ikler

Why innovate?

We don’t innovate just to innovate. Because we’re curious, we may experiment to see what emerges. But ultimately, we innovate to make meaning, to change the world—at whatever level of the world we work— to provide a unique and valued product, service, or process for the end user.

How do we innovate?

The process of innovating with others has the potential to be a great connector because 1+1=3 or even more. Connecting with others can bring vulnerabilities to the table and help reframe them as strengths rather than weaknesses: “I don’t know everything. Let’s create something meaningful together.”

Objectives:

• Learn and practice a structured innovation methodology and toolset.

• Collaborate with others to share thinking and strengthen ideas.

• Innovate in a specific area of your work or business.

10:45am - 12:15pm Fear Setting vs. Goal Setting: Habits and Routines to Make Magic Happen

Workshop facilitated by Megan Miller and Melissa Hughes

We all know that habits and routines are powerful... but when was the last time you checked yours? Whether it's creating a habit from scratch or tuning up a routine, the answer lies in the science between our ears. Clarify your goals by getting to know yourself better, no white rabbits needed.

Objectives:

• Learn how to define your emotions and work through them, not around them

• Neuroscience hacks on creating and establishing habits / routines... so you can set it and forget it.

• Instead of getting derailed, the best ways to bounce back when things don't go as planned.

Working lunch

1:15pm - 3:00pm Make the Most of NLV: Debriefing and Next Steps to Avoid the After Conference Hangover

Let’s make sure everyone has the support and resources they need to take the next steps toward their goals and aspirations. What - exactly - does each of us need, and how do we continue this momentum and avoid the “after-conference hangover?”