The ReWorkflow Podcast

Networking at Slate Summit is crucial, as it provides an opportunity to forge meaningful connections with peers, experts, and potential collaborators. Making the most of your time in Chicago means exchanging ideas, sharing best practices, and building relationships that you'll maintain long after our time together in June. Join Megan and her guest, ReWorkflow CEO Jon Rowand, as they dig into best practices for networking at Slate Summit.
 
💡Key Takeaways
Networking at Slate Summit can be a valuable opportunity to connect with higher education professionals, learn from experts, and potentially advance your career. Here are some tips to make the most out of your networking experience.
Set Clear Goals: Determine what you want to achieve from the conference. Are you looking to make new connections, learn about specific topics, or explore job opportunities? Setting clear goals will help you focus your efforts.
Prepare Your Elevator Pitch: Have a concise and engaging introduction ready that describes who you are, what you do, and what you're looking to gain from the conference. Make it memorable and relevant to the event. If your job title doesn't make it clear, make sure to explain what you do in Slate.
Attend Social Events: There are the meals, the Thursday night party, and the very late Thursday night coding party as part of the official conference, but tons of preferred partners have happy hours and user groups have hosted events as well.
Offer Value: Networking is a two-way street. Consider how you can help others – whether it's sharing insights, offering your expertise, or connecting them with relevant people. .
Diversify Your Connections: While it's natural to gravitate towards people like you, also try to connect with those from different specialties or from different areas. This can lead to unique perspectives and opportunities. Someone working in advancement can learn from people in admissions. Someone at a large university can learn from someone at a small scholarship granting organization.
Be Respectful of Time: Understand that everyone's time is limited at Slate Summit. Don't monopolize a person's time and be mindful of their schedule.
Follow Up: After the conference, reach out to the connections you made. Connect on LinkedIn, send personalized follow-up emails, or even set up meetings to continue the conversation.
Remember that networking is about building relationships, not just collecting business cards. Approach each interaction with authenticity and a willingness to learn from others, and you'll likely find valuable connections that can benefit your professional journey.
 
🔗Connect with Megan LinkedIn | Slack | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login)🔗Connect with Jon LinkedIn | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login) | ReWorkflow
 
Host: Megan Story
Audio Production by: Isaac Best
 
❓Got a question you would like answered on a future episode? Feedback about the show? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at podcast@reworkflow.com! 
 
🌐 Learn more about ReWorkflow at www.reworkflow.com.

With the release of the Slate Summit schedule and the Slate Summit 2024 app  our excitement is growing! Right now is the time to prepare for your trip to Chicago in June by getting into the nitty gritty of planning for Slate Summit. Megan's former coworker Tiffany Kawafuchi joins her to discuss her meticulous planning for Slate Summit and how that helps her team once they're at the conference.
 
💡Key Takeaways
When choosing which sessions to attend at Slate Summit you want to make the most out of your time and networking opportunities. Here's a method you can follow:
Set Your Goals: Determine your primary objectives for attending the conference. Are you looking to learn about new skills, brainstorm creative solutions to problems, or connect with higher education professionals? Your goals will guide your session choices. This is a great way to include coworkers to make sure you're working toward both institutional and personal goals. 
Review the Agenda: Carefully review the Summit schedule, including presentations, affinity groups, and networking events. Look for topics that align with your goals and interests. Note session titles, speakers, and descriptions.
Prioritize: Not all sessions will be equally valuable to you. Prioritize the sessions that are most relevant to your institutional and personal goals and professional development. Focus on sessions that will provide new insights, skills, or perspectives.
Diversify: While focusing on your main goals, try to diversify your session choices. You may work in an advancement office, but be able to learn something new by attending a session led by someone working in an admissions office.
Be Open to Change: Conference dynamics can change, and sometimes you might find out more about a session's content or speaker closer to Summit. Stay flexible and be open to adjusting your schedule if a session that wasn't initially on your radar becomes more appealing.
Network Strategically: Networking is a crucial aspect of Slate Summit. Identify affinity groups, social events, and opportunities to connect with fellow attendees. Balance your schedule to allow for meaningful interactions. Keep an eye out for events hosted by preferred partners and user groups.
Stay Balanced: Summit can be intense, so make sure to balance your schedule with breaks, meals, and downtime. It's essential to stay refreshed and engaged throughout the event.
Remember, you might not be able to attend every session you're interested in, so be prepared to make choices that align with your goals and priorities. You can always check out the presentation slides after Summit and reach out to the presenter with questions then.
 
🔗Connect with Megan LinkedIn | Slack | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login)🔗Connect with Tiffany LinkedIn | Slack | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login)
 
Check out Tiffany's presentation as part of the Show-and-Tell event at Summit on Thursday, June 20th, 2024 at 12:40pm in Festival Hall A1.
 
Host: Megan Story
Audio Production by: Isaac Best
 
❓Got a question you would like answered on a future episode? Feedback about the show? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at podcast@reworkflow.com! 
 
🌐 Learn more about ReWorkflow at www.reworkflow.com.

In this episode we’re focusing on public speaking and creating slide decks for Slate Summit. Joining us this week are Mark Ledoux and Corey Stamco from Kent State University! Listen in on our conversation discussing their experience co-presenting as part of Slate Stage and learn from their experience.
 
💡Key Takeaways
Presenting as part of Slate Summit can be a nerve-wracking yet rewarding experience. Here are some tips to help you deliver a confident and impactful presentation:
Engaging Opening: Start with a compelling hook, story, or statistic to grab your audience's attention right from the beginning. Memorizing your entire presentation word-for-word can make you sound robotic, but your nerves are going to be biggest at the beginning, so memorize your opening and let the rest flow.
Vocal Variety: Vary your tone, pitch, and pace to keep your audience engaged. A monotonous voice can make your presentation less interesting.
Body Language: Use open and confident body language. Stand tall, use purposeful gestures, and move around the stage if possible. 
Be Passionate: Show your enthusiasm for the topic. A passionate speaker is more likely to captivate the audience. We’re all there to talk about software for higher education. We’re not cool, so don’t worry about looking like a nerd.
Be Authentic: Be yourself. Authenticity builds trust and makes your presentation more relatable. You don’t need to know what you don’t know.
Remember that public speaking skills improve with practice. Even experienced speakers have room for growth. Embrace each opportunity as a chance to learn and develop your abilities.
Creating your an engaging and polished slide deck is essential to effectively communicate your ideas and engage your audience. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you create an impactful presentation:
Content Creation:
Keep your content concise and avoid overcrowding slides with too much information.
Use bullet points, short phrases, and visuals to convey key points.
Use high-quality images, charts, graphs, and diagrams to illustrate your ideas.
Include real-world examples, case studies, and anecdotes to make your points relatable.
Visual Design:
Maintain a consistent color scheme and font style throughout the presentation.
Use contrasting colors for text and background to ensure readability.
Avoid excessive animations and transitions that can distract from your message.
Text and Typography:
Limit the amount of text on each slide. Aim for a few key points per slide.
Use a font size that is easily readable from a distance.
Avoid using too many fonts; stick to two or three complementary fonts.
Practice Delivery:
Rehearse your presentation with your slides multiple times to ensure smooth delivery.
Practice your timing to stay within the allotted presentation time.
Gather feedback from colleagues or friends to make necessary improvements.
Conclude Well:
Include your contact details or social media handles for attendees to reach out after the presentation.
Consider what you’re leaving your audience with. Show off your work by linking to a portfolio, providing a suitcase link or having attendees fill out a great survey you’ve made in Slate forms.
🔗Connect with Megan LinkedIn | Slack | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login)🔗Connect with Mark LinkedIn | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login)🔗Connect with Corey LinkedIn | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login)
 
Host: Megan Story
Audio Production by: Isaac Best
 
❓Got a question you would like answered on a future episode? Feedback about the show? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at podcast@reworkflow.com! 
 
🌐 Learn more about ReWorkflow at www.reworkflow.com.

In this episode we’re focusing on creating and collaborating a presentation for Slate Stage or Slate Summit. Our guest this episode is Allie Duffney and we discuss issues such as taking an idea and turning it into a presentation and collaborating with someone at another school or institution on your presentation.
 
💡Key Takeaways
Turning a presentation proposal for Slate Stage or Slate Summit into the actual presentation involves careful planning, organization, and effective communication. Here's a step-by-step strategy to help you create a compelling presentation:
Review Your Proposal: Start by revisiting your original proposal. Remind yourself of the main points you intended to cover and the objectives of your presentation. This will help you maintain focus and ensure that your final presentation aligns with your initial intentions.
Structure Your Presentation: Organize your presentation into a logical structure. A common structure includes:
Introduction: Introduce yourself, the topic, and its importance.
Background: Provide context for your presentation, including any relevant background information.
Main Content: Break down your content into key points, each supported by evidence, examples, and data.
Conclusion: Summarize the main points and reiterate your key message.
Q&A: Prepare for potential questions from the audience.
Consider Your Audience: The Slate community is wide and varied. Provide diverse entry points in your presentation for your audience. People in leadership positions will be looking for higher level reasons to move forward with a Slate project, while on-the-ground users will be looking for the technical details needed to implement in their instance. Within reason, try to have something for everyone.
Limit Content: Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information. Focus on key takeaways and supporting points. Less is often more. People will not remember the code you provide, but they will remember your approach to a project and the problems you solved. Give them a way to get the details later.
If you’re paired up with others outside your institution for your presentation, here’s some advice for your collaboration:
Clear Communication: Establish open and frequent communication channels from the outset. Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and expectations for both you and your colleague. Some people just split the presentation time and give individual presentations, while others give a team presentation, taking turns presenting slides and building off the ideas shared by the others. Now it the time to decide how’d you want to move forward to avoid conflict and disappointment later.
Establish a Timeline: No matter how you choose to move forward, you still have a shared deadline to meet. Determine a timeline for communication and deliverables now so everyone’s on the same page.
Be Flexible: Your co-presenter may get a new job a month before your presentation. The main point of your presentation may lose relevance after Technolutions releases a new feature. The Slate community still has something to learn from you, so take a breath and get creative. We’re all rooting for you and appreciate your generosity in sharing your expertise.
 
🔗Connect with Megan LinkedIn | Slack | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login)🔗Connect with Allie LinkedIn | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login) 
🔎Allie Duffney's Slate Summit Presentations
Slate Summit 2022 presentation - Creating Your Slate Succession Plan - Allie Duffney & Susanna Mayo
 
If you're interested in graduate admissions in Slate, please join the Graduate Slate Community User Group, led by Allie and Megan.
Host: Megan Story
Audio Production by: Isaac Best
 
❓Got a question you would like answered on a future episode? Feedback about the show? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at podcast@reworkflow.com! 
 
🌐 Learn more about ReWorkflow at www.reworkflow.com.

Thinking about presenting at Slate Summit but not sure where to start? In this kickoff episode, Megan sits down with longtime presenter Trevor Kingsley to pull back the curtain on how talks come together and why sharing your work matters more than you think. It’s a candid, sleeves-rolled-up conversation about choosing a topic that helps Slaters shape a clear story and learning from the inevitable “wish we’d known that sooner” moments. If presenting has been on your “someday” list, this is the friendly nudge to move it to “this year.”💡Key TakeawaysThe question we’re answering in this episode is why you should consider presenting as part of Slate Summit. To start, there are a ton of reasons you should consider presenting.
Contributing to the Community: Sharing your experiences, successes, and even failures can benefit the wider Slate community by helping others avoid common pitfalls and inspiring them to explore new ideas. In addition, presenting provides a platform to share insights, best practices, and innovative solutions related to Slate. It's an opportunity to contribute to the collective knowledge of the field and help others improve their processes.
Networking: Summit brings together professionals from various institutions and backgrounds. Presenting allows you to connect with colleagues, industry experts, and potential collaborators. These connections can lead to valuable partnerships, collaborations, and future opportunities. In addition, presenting demonstrates your expertise and thought leadership within the field. It can elevate your professional profile and position you as a knowledgeable and influential figure in the higher education.
Institutional Exposure: For your institution, presenting at Slate Summit can showcase the innovative approaches and technologies being employed in your admissions/advancement/student success processes. This can enhance your institution's reputation and attract attention from prospective students, partners, and other stakeholders. 
Feedback and Validation: Presenting your work to the Slate user community allows you to receive valuable feedback and insights. This feedback can help you refine your ideas, improve your solutions, and validate the effectiveness of your strategies.
Professional Development: Preparing and delivering a presentation enhances your public speaking, communication, and organizational skills. It also pushes you to stay current with the latest trends and developments with Slate, contributing to your continuous professional growth. The process of preparing a presentation forces you to dive deep into your topic, research thoroughly, and organize your thoughts. 
We hope the conversation with Trevor inspired you to consider presenting this year or in the future!
 
🔗Connect with Megan LinkedIn | Slack | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login)🔗Connect with Trevor LinkedIn | Slack | Slate Community (🔐 requires Slate login)
 
🔎Trevor Kingsley's Slate Summit Presentations
Nth Time’s a Charm for International Admissions Workflows (and Beyond): Continuously Improving the International Admissions Process from Application through the I-20/Visa process (and Beyond!) - Keith Gallinelli & Trevor Kingsley (🔐 requires login)
From Application Cloning to Custom Copying: How to Build and Automate Your Process - Michael Bendorf & Trevor Kingsley (🔐 requires login)
 
Submit your 2024 Summit Proposal by January 12, 2024.
 
Host: Megan Story
Audio Production by: Isaac Best
 
❓Got a question you would like answered on a future episode? Feedback about the show? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at podcast@reworkflow.com! 
 
🌐 Learn more about ReWorkflow at www.reworkflow.com.Special thanks to Richard Clark at Area Code Audio for his advice in launching this podcast.

A trailer for a six-episode season focused on Slate Summit.