Hi folks,
Me again. With thoughts recently turned to TLCC2021 and how tricky the annual Nerd Summer Camp is for a lot of us I fell across this great post on LinkedIn from Neurodiversity Media.
Networking can be tricky for introverts, autistic peeps, ND folk and .... well anyone really. Many a TLCC/ANZTRUC I've had to take a night off to myself to get that executive functioning back. I'm definitely human enough to admit that while pals were having the time of their lives at Harry Potter World at TLCC2018 I was having a panic attack in my hotel room. As much as I love all the wonderful and amazing nerdburgers at a conference I definitely have to turn down the over stimulation, plan what I needed to do, and psych myself into walking into a foyer of faces. That being said I'm most often flying solo and for the first couple of years knew next to noone.
For much of my younger years in science & medicine, and later as an actor, I didn't really understand the point to networking. It seemed to be a recipe for social anxiety with little benefit. Over the last decade however as a CRM guy in a small organisation where no one knew what I was supposed to do (including me) it quickly became obvious that I needed to create my own support group. Conferences and forums were a great place for that, and to be honest without the support of the Tessitura community, both online and at TLCC/ANZTRUC I wouldn't have made it through.
So now you know why I try to give a little back where I can on forums.
Anyway without further adieu here is some simple tips from some professional autistic folks that I follow and chat with.
5 Autistic Share their Networking Tips
Brought to you by the incredible Neurodiversity Media
Thanks for sharing this, Heath! I've talked pretty openly about how often I cried at TLCC 2019, and I definitely could have used some of these tips to care for myself a little better.