What a year it’s been! From losing our long-time venue and friends at Trader Vic’s and trying out some new locations like Ecliptic and Touché before landing at the Lucky Lab on Quimby, to the excellent people I get to see each month, I couldn’t be more touched with the MindShare group. Each month, our venue is packed with professionals open to learning a little something to advance them professionally and personally during our career-focused workshops, and great conversations happen during the networking portion that follows. I always enjoy catching up with those that regularly attend and meeting the many newcomers that give our event a chance (usually because someone recommends it). I often hear stories of how someone made a connection that led them to a new job or to potential new employers. If you have any stories you’d like to share with me, please pop me an email. Finally, we even launched a new website with help from developer Five Talent and designer PopArt! So pleased with the results!
And, we have the best speakers willing to share their expertise and experience with us! I’ve been wowed by new speakers and enjoyed welcoming back past ones. My 2016 recap (and you’ll find the presentations for many of them below):
- January – Jenna Cooper of Gratia PR opened up 2016 with a presentation on being a better speaker whether you are addressing an audience, a small group, or just an interview.
- February – My fearless leader and founder of MindShare and Anvil Media, Kent Lewis, taught attendees how to build their brand on social media in just 15 minutes a day.
- March – Chris Bartell, of Super Powers Academy, gave a very energetic presentation on how to use your unique strengths to be memorable whether it’s an interview, networking, or other situation. I’m still appreciative he was amenable to moving to a new venue without a projector at the last minute.
- April – It’s always a pleasure to have Jenny Foss of JobJenny.com come back and present. She was my first speaker as MindShare manager over 3 years ago and had her back every year since. This time she taught us all how to write a great resume that will get you in the door for an interview. She will be back next year!
May – I was very pleased to welcome first-time speaker Jim Edgerton to MindShare and he gave a powerful presentation on presenting and using PowerPoint. Great tips and tricks were learned by all.- June – Danielle Baker of DanielleBaker.com and Science of People joined us for the 2nd time in June and blew us away with her talk on body language. Backed by science, you can’t help but want to run out and power pose!
- July – First-time speaker, Randy Wright, discussed how a positive attitude can help you be successful when facing adversity and life challenges.
- August – We took a break from our regular event and joined SEMpdx as a co-host for the annual Rooftop Networking Party. It was a great night, and we look forward to next year!
- September – How cool was it to have Emily Anderson of FranNet let us all take her BEST assessment, and “unpackage” the results for us. If you took the test, she has recorded her presentation so you can listen along and find out some strengths you can use for your interviews and resume.
- October – So lovely to have Cleon Cox return and talk to our group about networking. If there is anything you took away from his discussion, make sure it’s to have fun.
November – Kim Morrison came back and shared her extensive experience with interviews with attendees and gave them some pointers on how best to prepare.- December – We’ll be joining SEMpdx again for the Annual Holiday Networking Party on December 6th. Please join us for some holiday cheer, catch up with old friends, and meet some new ones. Hundreds of people show up to this event every year, and it’s always a great time…even in the dark!
2017: We will resume on January 18th with Amy Wolff who is a TedEx speaker and coach. I have about half the year lined up and you can expect to see more of Kent Lewis and Job Jenny, as well as some excellent first-time speakers Kate Grenadier and Ashley Roda. Stay tuned for another post introducing them all.
From the bottom of my heart as we go into the holiday week, THANK YOU! Thank you to my speakers who took the time out of their schedules to present, thank you to the attendees who carved time out to attend our events and added value with their questions and insights, and thank you to the venues who hosted us. Thank you for making it a great year!
If you have any questions or have a great story to share with me about your MindShare experience, pop me a line! I’d love to hear from you. And, Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
