PLSO The Oregon Surveyor November/December 2021

7 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org From the Publications Committee 3. Don’t be a traffic hog. Don’t go for the A-listers or the person with the biggest microphone. Go for pre- A-listers; the up and comers. If you must go for A-listers, here are some pointers: • Try not to approach them right after they finished speaking at their session. • Ask if they have a minute. The perfect question (or pitch) at a bad time is a bad question (or pitch). • Ask who on their team you could email about whatever your question is. How to Join a Conversation If there are just two people, then don’t in- terrupt; just wait. If there are three ormore people, then approach and ask, “Do you mind if I join you/eavesdrop?” Then, just listen to the conversation. How to Escape or Pause a Conversation • “Hey, are you going to be here for the rest of the week/conference/day?” • “Do you have a business card? I’d like to connect, but I also want to wander around a bit.” Any time you get a business card, write a note on the back of where or how you met or what you talked about as a reminder. Follow-up if you’re looking tomake a pitch or to get hired. After a conference, people are socialized out and more importantly, playing catch up on work items. Consider waiting two weeks and email them on a Wednesday or Friday. Don’t ask to pick their brain over coffee or for anything in particular. Play the long game. Social Drinking Biohacks I’m a nervous drinker. What I mean is that when I feel uncomfortable I will take lots of small sips and the next thing I knowmy drink is gone. And no one likes standing around without something in their hand during social hour. Keep inmind that plen- ty of people don’t drink alcohol and for many reasons. This is perfectly acceptable. Tip number one is don’t make anyone feel bad for not having a drink. Tip number two is don’t drink too much. • Drink one glass of water for every glass of alcohol. • Drink mocktails. My favorite is soda water (or tonic) with lime. Looks like it could be a gin and tonic. Another good one is soda water and cranberry which looks like a vodka cranberry. How to Send Us Your Work Please email the editor, Vanessa Salvia, at vsalvia@gmail.com with submissions. Your submission should be in .doc format. Please send images separately (not embedded in the document) and at the highest file size avail - able (MB size range versus KB size range—larger sizes are encouraged). Please include the author’s name and email address or phone number for contact. Making the best use of the Whova App • Add your actual photo to your profile. This is helpful for the virtual aspect, but also could prove really helpful when looking for a specific person you haven’t met yet because now you know what they look like. • Use messages to connect with other conference attendees whether they are there in person or just virtual. Use some of the conversation tips previously discussed. • Participate on the community boards. Last year, there were some fun feeds sharing work photos and discussing hot auction items, survey rigs, life after surveying, what you would do with a billion dollars, and women in surveying. • Share photos. There is a section just for sharing your photos from work or the conference. • Resources is where you’ll find session Q&A, session documents and videos, polls (feel free to create one!), and conference feedback surveys. x