In honor of Mother’s Day, Smart Meetings asked our smart readers to share how their moms—or how being a mom—have better prepared them for life as a meeting professional. Here are the endearing (and some very practical) results.
What We Learned from Mom:
- My mom was an expert at reframing to the positive. When someone comes with a challenge or complaint, I’ve learned from her how to quickly recover and reframe the experience for them, so that we can turn a negative into a great outcome.
- Be kind to people who help you plan and execute your events.
- Speak clearly with excitement to capture the attention of your audience.
- Keep calm and be graceful.
- Always do your best!
- Give back and try to make others comfortable.
- Everything. (Thanks, mom!)
What We Learned from Having Kids:
- With four children, I have learned to balance my time better and set reasonable expectations of people’s time. I’ve also learned to plan for difference. Even kids with essentially the same genetic material are exceedingly different in how they see the world. We must plan for the diversity that our guests bring to the table, too.
- Time is limited. I’ve learned how to get a lot of items done quickly.
- Juggling many schedules increases my attention to detail and time management skills.
- I learned to find a better balance in my life.
- Creativity.
- You can never have enough extra napkins.
Some answers have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
