Last Thursday night I made the long drive down from BYU-Idaho to Salt Lake City for the L2E Conference that LDS Business College hosted. I heard about it from a classmate whose sisters go to LDS BC. From the second I saw the video I knew that I needed to go.
I am grateful to the people who took the time and effort to organize and plan the event. I can’t even imagine what a logistical nightmare it must have been trying to get all the speakers lined up and everything organized.
It was worth the time and energy driving down because as the host Spencer Taggart said about a thousand times it was mind blowing. I was opened to new ideas and concept that I need to implement in my personal career to be the best person I can.
I have been telling everyone at BYU-Idaho that they missed out and I have been anxious to share what I have learned.
Chris Smith
Chris Smith from K Cross branding came and talked about branding ourselves, how to become free and how to find our strengths.
One of my favorite quotes from his speech was, “You don’t need to ask permission for anything, just tell them that you are coming.”
What a bold statement, if we want something than we have to go out there and get it. He talked about how the opposite of fear is freedom. If we put ourselves out there and fight fear we will become free.
“Strengths aren’t always things that you are good at, they are things that strengthen you,” Smith said. “Weaknesses aren’t things that you are bad at, it is something that weakens you.”
I had never thought of it like that. It is an amazing concept. Chris played out a scenario that I think happens a lot and discourages people from their facing fears and becoming free.
He said then when we are not good at something people tell us to stop, even if we really love it. If we are good at something people say to keep going it even if we don’t love what we are doing. Just because we aren’t good at something, doesn’t mean that we have to stop doing it if we truly love it.
Smith encouraged student to tell their story. He said that content is key. Content is better than PR and advertising. Stories raise our personal brand and what we have to offer.
We need authentic stories. Every great story starts with Once upon a time….suddenly….luckily and happily ever after.
You brand is what you stand for! What do you want to be known as?
He gave keys on building your brand are: DISCOVER, ALIGN, SERVE.
We truly are a brand and if we brand ourselves we will be more marketable. After his speech we got to dance. I was able to jump on stage and get my dance on. I have no shame! That song has been stuck in my head all week!
Stephanie Hatch Leishman
Stephanie came all the way from Boston. Represent! I was born in Boston!
She talked about the jobs that are available in social media, but that part of her speech that caught my eye was once again about personal branding.
She instructed us to have a number 1, 2 and 3 written down on our paper. She then had us write down the top three things that we want people to think about when they hear our names. It was hard for me. What do I want people to think of when they hear my name? PR? Advertising? Journalism?
After you write down what you want people to remember you then have to brainstorm underneath and think of ways to be noticed. It can be through hashtags or various ways.
“Social media has changed me, I see the world in a new perspective, I helps me focus on the details of life,” Leishman said.
There are plenty of jobs out there, we just have to build our brand so THEY can find us.
Judy Robinett
Judy Robinett gave a great speech on networking. Most speakers on networking say just go out and talk to people, but she gave some great advice.
Network = Net work. What a powerful statement.
The reason that people are afraid to network is because of fear.
Here’s what to do:
1. Confront Fears
2. Challenge Assumption
3. Change Beliefs
4. Create Political Capital
She encouraged us to focus on a group of 50 connections and build strong relationships. The money and jobs are in the weak connections, the friends of friends.
What you need to ask: What other ideas do you have for me? Who else do you know that I should talk to?
We need to build a network before we need it. Plan for the future.
There were many other speakers that came to L2E. I wish I could write about all of them.
Tom Dickson who invented the Blendtec came and talked to us about how social media changed his life. He is famous for his YouTube channel Will It Blend?
Alex Houg and Dennis Yu came from Blitz Metrics to talk about the importance of analytics. They offered a free course, which I just barely signed up for. Thank you for that opportunity.
Thanks you again to all those who put this conference on. My mind was truly blown.
If you went, what were you favorite parts?
Public Relations & Advertising: Who's Got the Power? 