{"id":12432,"date":"2024-08-13T11:26:52","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T10:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=12432"},"modified":"2024-08-21T12:04:41","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T11:04:41","slug":"altc24-supporting-each-other-through-conference-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/08\/altc24-supporting-each-other-through-conference-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"ALTC24: Supporting each other through conference anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alice Chapman, ALTC24 Conference Committee Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picture this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You arrive at a conference event that your manager has suggested you attend to meet your CPD objectives. Your train was delayed, and you didn\u2019t have a seat for the duration of the journey. Despite your efforts to arrive early, you ended up rushing from the train station to find the venue, where you\u2019re greeted by a busy person who thrusts a lanyard in your hand, telling you that the keynote is about to start, proceeding to give you lots of directions to the room.You try to spot somewhere to get some water, but you\u2019re ushered up the corridor and reminded that there will be no seats left. You walk in the door which is located at the front of the room, and you scan the seats for a spare place to sit but everyone appears to be there with people they already know, and any other spare seats are occupied by bags. You notice a gap up the stairs, and it feels like your every move is being watched as you arrive next to someone who is frantically typing on their laptop, trying to get that extra email done before the event begins. And when the keynote speaker walks on to the stage, you find you are shaking, so much so that you can\u2019t concentrate anyway and take none of the keynote session in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does that sound familiar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are all often reminded that conferences are good for professional development, providing networking opportunities, helping you in building your confidence, and a good chance to see different places. And whilst this may be true, and some people are natural at enjoying the experience of it all, for others it can be stressful and even cause high levels of anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that you\u2019re not on your own in feeling this way! Research shows us that in the UK, a little over 1 in 10 people will be living with an anxiety disorder at any one time which is over 8 million people (Mental Health UK<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can we do if we experience <\/strong>anxiety around attending conferences<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decide on the sessions you don\u2019t want to miss in the programme<\/a> ahead of arrival, including additional breaks if you know they would be beneficial for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give yourself extra time for travel<\/a> to and from the venue. Where possible, try and travel at quieter times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, it\u2019s okay if you miss something! You don\u2019t have to go to everything and sometimes, things are out of your control. It\u2019s more important to take a moment for your wellbeing than try to fit everything in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make use of the quiet spaces. Step away if you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

What can we do as delegates to help make people feel that they belong?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be mindful of others while you\u2019re at the conference. If you see someone that is on their own, say hello and give them a smile. Don\u2019t be offended if they don\u2019t want to chat, but your welcoming gestures may have helped them to feel more at ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invite others to join you at lunch. This can be one of the most daunting times of the day so try and spot people who are on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only use the designated quiet space as somewhere to take a break from the conference, not as a workspace as some people really appreciate having a separate space to step away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is the main takeaway?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be kind to yourself and be kind to others. Let\u2019s make ALTC24 our most welcoming conference yet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"#ALTC24<\/figure>
\n

This year,\u00a0#ALTC24 is heading back to Manchester on 3-5 September 2024<\/strong>\u00a0and we are looking forward to once again convening the Learning Technology community at this unmissable event.
Learn more and register here \u2013\u00a0altc.alt.ac.uk\/2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Picture this. You arrive at a conference event that your manager has suggested you attend to meet your CPD objectives. Your train was delayed, and you didn\u2019t have a seat for the duration of the journey. Despite your efforts to arrive early, you ended up rushing from the train station to find the venue, where […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1865,1496,1409],"tags":[1258,1861,725,1915,1693,777,828],"class_list":["post-12432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-altc24","category-annual-conference","category-events","tag-altc-2","tag-altc24","tag-altc","tag-altc24-2","tag-annual-conference","tag-conference","tag-events"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/altc24-blog-post-covers-6.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12475,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/09\/explore-the-voices-and-resources-of-altc24\/","url_meta":{"origin":12432,"position":0},"title":"Explore the voices and resources of ALTC24","author":"ALT","date":"5 September 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"We would like to thank everyone for contributing to and taking part in\u00a0ALT\u2019s Annual Conference 2024. It was a delight to have so many of you joining us in person and online. As we do every year, we are collecting links to blog posts and resources for and about the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ALTC24"","block_context":{"text":"ALTC24","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/events\/altc24\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"altc24 blog","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/09\/altc24-blog-post-covers-7.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/09\/altc24-blog-post-covers-7.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/09\/altc24-blog-post-covers-7.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/09\/altc24-blog-post-covers-7.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12449,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/08\/amplifying-your-network-at-altc24\/","url_meta":{"origin":12432,"position":1},"title":"Amplifying your network at ALTC24","author":"ALT","date":"21 August 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I really value attending ALTC - I've actually lost count of the times that I've been over the last decade or so! I think I particularly value visiting for 2 reasons, meeting up with the practitioner research community and promoting the work of everything we do in FE and Skills.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#AmplifyFE"","block_context":{"text":"#AmplifyFE","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/amplifyfe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"AmplifyFE community space","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/08\/AmplifyFEspace-blog-cover-image-template-734x550-2.png?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12200,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/05\/altc24-an-update-from-our-co-chairs\/","url_meta":{"origin":12432,"position":2},"title":"ALTC24: an update from our Co-Chairs","author":"ALT","date":"10 May 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"It doesn\u2019t feel like almost eight months ago we were dusting off our 80\u2019s disco moves ready to celebrate at the ALT Award dinner at University of Warwick\u2026but it was and now we\u2019re into full swing with planning for the ALT Conference 2024 in Manchester. So, what does 2024 have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ALTC24"","block_context":{"text":"ALTC24","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/events\/altc24\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12219,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/05\/writing-a-proposal-for-altc24\/","url_meta":{"origin":12432,"position":3},"title":"Writing a proposal for #ALTC24","author":"","date":"16 May 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Writing a proposal for a conference can feel daunting, so, we have written this blog to help you submit a strong proposal for our 2024 Annual Conference (ALTC24). If you don't think you have anything interesting to share, think again! If you've never spoken at a conference before, now's the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ALTC24"","block_context":{"text":"ALTC24","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/events\/altc24\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers-2.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers-2.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers-2.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers-2.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12193,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2024\/05\/writing-a-business-case-to-attend-altc24\/","url_meta":{"origin":12432,"position":4},"title":"Writing a business case to attend ALTC24","author":"ALT","date":"14 May 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"We know it can be challenging, in the current economic climate, to secure approval for funding and time to attend ALT\u2019s Annual Conference. One way to gain support and increase the possibility, is to submit a strong business case with your request.\u00a0 A persuasive business case outlines how attendance will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ALTC24"","block_context":{"text":"ALTC24","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/events\/altc24\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers-1.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers-1.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers-1.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2024\/05\/altc24-blog-post-covers-1.png?fit=700%2C216&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13012,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2025\/04\/one-year-on-blackboard-ally-institution-report-over-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":12432,"position":5},"title":"One year on \u2013 Blackboard Ally Institution Report Over Time","author":"Debayan Dey","date":"2 April 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Following my presentation at #ALTC24, I wanted to share an update on our progress with Blackboard Ally. Back in September, I attended and presented at #ALTC24 for the first time. If you attended the talk, you\u2019ll remember how the University of South Wales (USW) Digital Education team had been using\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Accessibility SIG"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Accessibility SIG","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/digital-accessibility-sig\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/blog-image.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/blog-image.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/blog-image.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2025\/03\/blog-image.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6CxU9-3ew","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12432"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12441,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12432\/revisions\/12441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}