Eli's Rehab Report

Use these strategies to turn conferences into goldmines for your practice.

Attending a conference is a great opportunity for rehab providers to glean the latest information and make new professional contacts who can share what works well in their practices or facilities.

To achieve these goals, experts suggest these strategies.

1. Do your homework. "If you chose a conference, there's something about the agenda that appeals to you," says Kurt Haas, former Ohio survey agency chief and currently CEO of Nursing Home Perspectives. "So look at the agenda and prepare questions. Speakers may not be able to answer the questions but they will likely be able to point you in the right direction."

2. Capture the highlights. Haas recommends taking some notes rather than just relying on the handouts. "When you take notes, you're writing what 'speaks to you' about the information which is probably something you don't know or haven't thought about. There's always going to be a significant portion of the information that you know. It's the exceptions that you want to focus on."

Organize your materials: Many conferences have stopped providing notebooks, but you can take one with the printed handouts in it. Include a section or few pages to jot down novel ideas or specific answers to questions you have.

3. Expand your circle of contacts. If you know just one person at a reception or other networking event, you've got a connection, says Maribeth Kuzmeski, author of The Connectors: How the World's Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life. Walk up to that person and chat for a while, Kuzmeski tells Eli. Then ask the person: "Who here does your marketing or your quality assurance or who sets your therapy goals" and ask to be introduced to that person.

Tip: "If you don't know anyone at all, lingering at the refreshment table as you get some food and beverages is a good place to strike up a conversation," Kuzmeski advised. "Or get a plate of food and look for someone sitting alone or a group at a table with empty chairs and ask if they mind if you join them." Consultant Rena Shephard may "strike up conversations" with people around her before or after a session, she says. "Drawing the speaker into that discussion can be really helpful if you cando that," says Shephard.

4. Develop a standard format for reporting on conferences. You can do oral presentations for staff as part of meetings or inservices. But providing a concise (one page or so) written format can help you share the highlights and any insights.