5 Reasons to Attend No Longer Virtual
How often do you surround yourself with people who genuinely care about each other and their success? The people participating in NLV aren't there to sell you anything; they're part of something much bigger than themselves, and they embrace it.
I've been avoiding the listicle for years now; it seems putting a number in the title almost guarantees people will click on it. I find that kind of sad, but if that's what it takes to help people avoid missing a great opportunity, I'm willing to make the sacrifice.
We're working hard on the agenda to make sure NLV2018 is as inspiring, motivating, and engaging as #NLV2017 was. Sign up for updates so you don't miss early registration, opening in October!
5) Hotel Indigo, Downtown Denver
This city is a great place to explore, even in February. The location of the hotel makes it easy to get around without having to rent a car. It's a 40 minute train ride directly from the airport to Union Station, across the street from the hotel, and adjacent to the 16th Street Mall, which is chock full of great restaurants, shopping, galleries, and microbreweries. Hotel Indigo opened its doors in January this year, and is sure to be an outstanding, un-boxed, non-traditional conference host. Make it a longer trip and visit the area's world class ski resorts!
Dustin McKissen & John White enjoy an NLV2017 session
4) Entrepreneurial Development
Sessions include hard and soft skills, facilitated by people who really get it. If you want to be successful, you need to learn, practice, and maintain your people skills and your ability to leverage online relationships in your offline life. Even those with the best skills can use some reminders and time to practice truly connecting with an audience, whether that's a potential client, a current client, an employee, or members of your community.
3) No Keynotes, No Awkward "Networking", No Over-filled Conference Rooms
Why no keynotes? Because everyone in the room has something to contribute to every topic. Sessions are designed for interaction, to leverage the experience and insights in the room. No Longer Virtual uses the side-conversations and after-hours connections and makes them the foundation of the experience. With a registration limit of 50 participants, you can expect real value in content and interaction. As a good friend wisely noted, there's a difference between networking and building a network.
There's nothing like a Heather Younger smile!
2) Face-to-Face Meeting with Your Favorite LinkedIn Connections
This is your opportunity to meet some of your favorite LinkedIn connections face-to-face. There is no better way to truly explore where a relationship can take you and your business than to meet face-to-face. Articles have been written about the first #NLV, and the incredible experiences resulting from meeting face-to-face, find links below.
The number 1 reason to attend #NLVDenver, #NLV2018...
1) Surrounded by Curious, Perceptive, Honest, Generous, Intelligent People
How often do you surround yourself with people who genuinely care about each other and their success? The people participating in NLV aren't there to sell you anything; they're part of something much bigger than themselves, and they embrace it. This will be one of the most inspiring events you've ever experienced, not because of the outstanding content being delivered, but because of the people in the room.
Read some of the articles written by participants:
- Would You Travel 2461.9 Miles to Connect with Your LinkedIn Network? Amy Blaschka
- I came for content. I left with a tribe. Zach Messler
- Lessons from No Longer Virtual. Your Chance in 2018. Christian Farber
- And a Voice to Speak With, The Circle of Humanity Thomas Jackson
Don't believe me? Ask them in the comments below.
Join us at No Longer Virtual in Denver on February 22 and 23, 2018. Sign up to receive periodic updates, including early registration opening date... don't miss this opportunity!
Follow me on Twitter, @sarahelkins, and watch for the hashtags #NLV2018, #NLVDenver, and #NoLongerVirtual
Be a sponsor for No Longer Virtual 2018, contact me for details!
So THAT's What Mindfulness Feels Like
The wind seemed to stop. Everything around me was suddenly in hyper focus, silent, like a bubble of peace and comfort surrounding me. I was aware of everything but myself in that moment. My hamster mind was silent.
I stood at the edge of the trail, my face in the sun and my eyes closed behind my sunglasses.
My phone buzzed. A new text. I reached into my pocket and was about to pull the phone out, when I stopped myself. It can wait.
I turned my face back into the sun, feeling the warmth on the exposed part of my chest above my t-shirt, and the cool breeze chilling my calves below my running pants.
My phone buzzed again. Another text. I reached into my pocket and was about to pull the phone out, when I stopped myself again. It can wait.
Once more, I turned my head up toward the sun, but this time kept my eyes open, looking closely at the pine needles on the tree a few feet above my head. They were shimmering and gently moving in the breeze. I could hear the wind gusts traveling up the side of the mountain through the trees, a wave of sound getting louder as it moved closer to me at a crest on the hill.
Summit, Mt Helena City Park, Helena, Montana
I lost myself, just briefly, in the sounds around me. Taking my time, I inventoried my surroundings and my body’s response to the sun and the wind. I noticed the goosebumps on my legs, but didn’t feel cold. I noticed the warm sensation from the sun on my skin, in direct contrast with the goosebumps created by the cool breeze. The wind seemed to stop. Everything around me was suddenly in hyper focus, silent, like a bubble of peace and comfort surrounding me. I was aware of everything but myself in that moment. My hamster mind was silent.
When my father was dying, one word brought him great comfort.
The phrase refers to being present. It appears when G-d is talking to Moses and asks where he is. Of course he knows where Moses is, right? So Moses responds with “he-nay-nee”, or “Here I am.” He’s letting G-d know that he’s all-in, that he is present, aware, and ready to listen and learn.
When I visited my father a few days before he died, he would mumble the word over and over again, reminding himself not to be concerned with the past or the future, and to just be in this “in-between” space, with grace and mindfulness.
It wasn’t surprising that as I stood on the mountain in my bubble of silence, that word would resonate in my head. I said it out loud. I felt it. I believed it. Here I am.
He-Nay-Nee. Here I Am.
I’ve never considered myself a religious person, though we celebrate the Jewish holidays and find great value in the rituals; I’ve always felt a strong connection to nature, the people around me, and a kind of universal energy. I think that’s why I was so open in that moment, it was like a message, and I heard it so clearly.
As I jogged back down the mountain, thighs burning from the descent, I kept repeating the word. Every rock, every tree root, every turn in the path lit up in front of me as I ran, fully present, on that beautiful spring day.
When I stepped into my yard, breathing hard and smiling with satisfaction, I thought:
So THAT’s what mindfulness feels like.
Join me at No Longer Virtual in Denver on February 22 and 23, 2018. Sign up to receive periodic updates, including early registration opening date… don’t miss this opportunity!
Follow me on Twitter, @sarahelkins, and watch for the hashtags #NLV2018, #NLVDenver, and #NoLongerVirtual
There are sponsorship opportunities for No Longer Virtual 2018, contact me for details.
Storytelling: It's All the Rage
Maybe the buzzword status of storytelling bothers me because, by making it its very own thing, we take the word out of the context of every other component of communication.
Why Using "Buzzwords" Bugs Me
I like to think I was one of the first to use it in my title. Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't; we all know storytelling has been around since, well, the beginning of human existence. For thousands of years, stories were how history, culture, and relationships have been shared and carried forward. They continue to serve multiple purposes, including teaching basic concepts, morality, ethics, religion, and more.
Prior to the age of general literacy, storytelling was the only way to share your community and family history. Stories passed down from generation to generation are what connect us, not only to our family and personal identity, but to the rest of the global community.
Given our human nature to share stories, it’s a bit surprising that suddenly, over the past 2+ years, storytelling has become a big buzzword. Storytelling for content marketing, storytelling for sales, storytelling for company culture, storytelling for interviews & résumés... as if there's some magical component of business and life that was recently discovered and will change everything!
Why does this bother me so much?
Maybe it’s because of my discovery a few years ago of my skill in helping people and organizations better understand and share their stories, both as a tool for general communication, and as a way to improve personal outcomes. There aren’t a lot of really skilled storytellers, and there are even fewer good teachers of storytelling.
Maybe the buzzword status of storytelling bothers me because, by making it its very own thing, we take the word out of the context of every other component of communication. Like the word engagement. Suddenly, over the past few years, engagement is a word that gets tossed around every industry: Education, manufacturing, travel, public sector agencies. As if, by using the word engagement, we can change the culture and dynamic of an environment without putting it into the context of profit, communication, management, leadership, marketing/sales, human resources, customer experience, etc.
All buzzwords do this, and it has always bugged me.
The same goes for storytelling. It doesn’t happen in a vacuum. To be a storyteller on any medium, you have to have a story to tell. As my friend Shlomi Ron, of Visual Storytelling Institute, says, you have to be a storyMAKER first. And then you must use the story in context, with an audience, in a way that moves people to do something or to feel something. That’s the beauty and complexity of communication; there are so many components, and storytelling is just one of them.
In business, telling your story has to fit into the culture and context of your organization. That means, prior to coming up with the language of your story, you need to do some digging. Remember the “why” behind your business; take into account your mission, vision, and overall goals. Think about the people involved, including employees, leadership, customers, and other stakeholders (the communities you impact), and figure out how your story will impact them.
And then consider which stories to tell, how to tell them them, and where they should be told.
Be intentional about your storytelling, make it real, not just another buzzword.
Here's what Ben Walker at Transcription Outsourcing had to say about No Longer Virtual 2017:
...the NLV conference was full of a bunch of "givers" and no "takers". I'm pretty sure that's why we all loved it so much, no one had an agenda, and no one tried to sell me anything. That's the first time I've been to a conference like that since I started going to conferences 15 years ago.
Save the Date: No Longer Virtual 2018 in Denver, February 22 and 23. Sign up to receive periodic updates, including early registration opening date... don't miss this opportunity!
There are great sponsorship opportunities for No Longer Virtual 2018, contact me for details.
Ready to work with me on your storytelling techniques? I'm taking on new coaching clients now! Get started with a three-session package.
It's the Journey
No Longer Virtual was exactly what it was supposed to be.
The inaugural No Longer Virtual was exactly what it was supposed to be.
I'm excited, but pretty stressed, Ginger. I know I'm on the right track, I can feel it in every breath I take. I'm just questioning whether the timing is right. This is a big financial and personal risk I'm taking, and I'm good with that, it's just stressful trying to get registrations and hotel reservations to where they need to be.
Sarah, NLV will be exactly what it is supposed to be. Trust yourself, trust your network.
I knew she was right; I knew I had done a lot of work to make this happen, and that there was little more I could do at that point to ensure the event's success. Still, my brain told me I could have worked harder, spent more time on it.
Self Doubt
It wasn't just about the risks I was taking, and that my family was experiencing through me; it was about making sure the participants and facilitators had opportunity for real value in their investment to be there. That's where I was feeling the pressure, it wasn't about our financial risk. I had a vision for truly connecting people, for bringing something unique and special into the lives of my guests.
Even after the conference had ended, and I felt the incredible energy in the room as people hugged goodbye, making plans for calls and future visits before leaving, I still wondered if the vision for the conference had been carried through to the participants.
Confirmation
Sometimes we're lucky, and we receive confirmation that what we're doing is good, right, and having a positive impact on others. I've been pretty lucky. Within 48 hours of the end of the conference, Thomas Jackson posted an article about the initial emotional response he had immediately following the event. He posted an article almost immediately after the final session, when the group brainstormed ideas for the next NLV.
This was a day no one wanted to end. There were suggestions of what worked and what didn't for certain people.
Two days later, Amy Blaschka shared her thoughts about the adventure, and the investment's value to her.
I knew she was on to something special; I could feel it in my bones. I needed to be there. In fact, I was so moved I wrote an article about it.
Six days after the start of the inaugural No Longer Virtual, Zach Messler posted an article about the value of those face-to-face interactions.
For months I've been writing about my concerns related to the disconnect among us. The biggest, most important goal for the conference was to help others realize the importance of face-to-face communication. It was about choosing to leverage our online relationships, our incredible opportunities through technology, to actually improve our face-to-face lives.
I wasn't completely convinced that this was what came out of the conference, until I read this from Zach's post:
But…here’s the thing…Even if you take advantage of all those communication channels, you still miss out on something much better…much deeper.
For lasting, meaningful personal connection, there is nothing like live and in person.
Lessons Learned, What's Next
Pages could be written about the lessons in this journey, and it's nowhere near its end. Here are the keys for me:
- When you believe in something so deeply, and you build a network of people who believe in you, anything is possible.
- When you choose to help others, and you work with intention and your whole heart, no matter what happens, you can be satisfied with that effort.
- If you want to make an impact, and you want to find deep satisfaction in life, STAY CURIOUS.
It takes a long time to absorb something so deep, so life-changing, which is why I'll be taking my time to dig into my thoughts about the inaugural No Longer Virtual. In the meantime, I'll be planning the next one.
Are you ready to take this step, to realize the depth of your online relationships by meeting face-to-face?