You can’t stand around waiting for someone to ask you to dance – losing the wallflower status

The QLD Diversity Committee along with the YWP National Taskforce decided to kick off Ozwater'22 with a Networking with Confidence workshop to help delegates network confidently at Ozwater and beyond.

With Covid-19 now a somewhat distant memory and the country starting to come back to a sense of normality, we are back doing what we do best and that is hosting great conferences like Ozwater'22.

Attending conferences to me always comes with an element of trepidation. While these events are a great opportunity to meet new people and build connections, I would normally stick with the people I know or be the “wallflower” waiting to be introduced to someone. While I was comfortable with my little circle, I knew to increase my presence in the industry I had to go and ask someone to dance.



This trepidation is a common issue not just for our Young Water Professionals, but for industry veterans as well. So the Queensland YWP Committee thought what a better way to kick off Ozwater'22 than with a session on growing your networking and communication skills, facilitated by none other than Sally Prosser – an experience TV reporter, company spokesperson, and qualified speech and drama teacher and more recently a Voice and Public Speaking Coach.

Additionally, we wanted to couple the event with acknowledging the diverse community we work with and within and highlight the challenges that are experienced in this space.

So did I learn the tango, jive or waltz? No, not literally, but I did learn skills to help build my confidence, presence, and ability to open a conversation with a stranger. I put this energy into making sure I met new people at Ozwater'22, leading to some great conversations and knowledge sharing.

So for the wallflowers at the Queensland Conference in Cairns later this year, I will be looking out for you to introduce myself and ask you to dance!

A detailed summary of the event is provided here.