Braindates Are Awesome.

3 Reasons Why You Should Take Advantage (with a little context)

Credit: Data Leadership Collaborative, e180, Tableau/Salesforce
  1. A collaborative learning experience .|: You get to be interactive one-on-one or in small groups with those who have an abundance of experience and/or skill with the topic of interest. Having an open dialogue with leaders in the field helps you understand and absorb the information even better than reading a blog or watching a webinar. You are part of the experience rather than just an absorber. It allows the interaction to be more natural and tailored to meet needs in ~30 minutes one-on-one or ~45 minutes group.
  2. Networking .|: Time, life, lack of immediate purpose, and hesitancy make it difficult to meet with people you admire and get to spend meaningful time with them. Even if I am organizing the event, people I have had braindates often inspired me or inspired me as a participant in the conversation. With the brain date (even more so for one on ones), you have a connection and a common ground discussing a topic with a lot of relevance to the parties involved. That new bond can be the beginning of a friendship or a collaboration; you never know what may come from a brain date. Another bonus is that outside of generic networking events, having a topic provides an inherent frame of reference that makes the chat more focused and less awkward.
  3. It’s a free launching pad to what’s next .|: The resource is well-supported, free to the community, safe, and promotes action. Spending 30 or 45 minutes draped in a topic with at least some interest to you is worth considering as an opportunity given the potential rewards reaped. Even more, there’s no risk and managed by a company (e180) that cares about keeping the platform powerful, open, and celebratory. With the knowledge gained or just the encouragement of seeing someone else do it before, it can be the slight nudge needed to propel you toward your goals. Of course, we all have reasons for inactivity, but maybe this small time commitment can provide some resources for you to compel you to take one step forward rather than standing still.

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Data Visualization and Enablement Leader | Data Leadership Collaborative Advisory Board Member | Tableau Visionary + Ambassador | Views are my own

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Adam Mico

Data Visualization and Enablement Leader | Data Leadership Collaborative Advisory Board Member | Tableau Visionary + Ambassador | Views are my own