Conference Archetypes

I was at a conference the other day. Catching up with some old timers, clients and some relatively new. Something struck me while I was going from one session to the other and observing everyone around. In nearly 20 years of work I have attended numerous conferences and observed how people conduct themselves and yet stay connected to their work.

Unlike today; we were much more clued into what was happening at the conference and probably absorbed more; or at least pretended to. Our modes of entertainment was limited to scribbling on books or doze off with eyes wide open. Really limited choice! Evenings would be a call back home and have a drink or two with other delegates. If not anything else; then step out.

In comparison; today we suffer from serious attention problems. We tend to zone out the moment we start hearing things which is remotely repetitive. We certainly don’t try to understand the context and immediately turn to Dr. Google to get answers to the unknown. Our conversations are more superficial; invariably to show mine is bigger than yours; i.e. knowledge. One thing constant is the way we flaunted our contacts. The emotions would range from “oh you don’t know him” to “we know each other for quite some time” to laughing loudly etc. Once all this is done it will boil down to walking past you with the ever so important person; and not even acknowledge. Believe you me; I used to always think it’s quite juvenile. Now I wonder if it is juvenile.

The reasons for this shift in position is because I feel I am the odd one out. A majority of people fall in the former category. Having known some of them for more than a decade; they are pretty much the same and doing as well in life if not better. Some of them believe that is their gateway to success; merit comes later. I do not want to sit in judgement; but at times the shallowness of intelligence is very obvious. I have found myself to be super intelligent at many such instances. Pardon my modesty!

I thought to myself, maybe the best outcome of my observations could be creating Archetypes of individuals based on their behaviour; rather conference behaviour. It also includes men and women.  It transcends all age groups and designations.

• Know-it-all: Loud, first to ask a question and full of jargons in their response.
• Recently successful: Any and every argument will somehow go back to their domain of success. Given a chance, they will talk about it or will draw some parallels and eventually talk about it
• Mis-fit: Likely to not sit through the sessions. Most likely will be sipping coffee outside and will be on phone.
• Achiever: Will be accommodating and will answer everything in a peaceful manner. At ease with people they know as well as strangers.Likely to have the best sessions.
• Gas bag: Will surely ask a question; but in the end. Most likely to be a mix of the ones asked before.
• Observer: Probably knows it all. Unlikely to ask questions. Will respond only if he/she feels strongly about it.
• Wikiman: Most likely to ask a question and quote an example. Likely to be an avid reader of anything and everything he/she subscribes to.

These archetypes haven’t changed much over the years. I am sure many of us have gone through various stages and settled into one of these. But obviously I too fall into one of them. Which one is anybody’s guess?