The Agency-In-Practice team are on their dissemination tour. Young People’s Advisory Group member Josh wrote a blog after his first ever conference earlier in the year.
This is his second blog in the series, after presenting at another conference with the team, where they shared their approach to involving young people as co-analysts in qualitative research.
In my experience I find a conversational technique to be effective – it's less pressure and I also find that the audience is more likely to want to engage.
Josh Cottrell
As mentioned in my previous blog, I really enjoyed my time at Phenomenology of Health and Relationships (PHaR) conference in Birmingham. So when I heard about another upcoming conference in Leeds I jumped at the opportunity, attending with a bit more knowledge and a lot less hair!
This conference, Qualitative Methods in Psychology also celebrated the 20th anniversary of Qualitative methods in Psychology. It was an honour to be part of and the excitement of this special date, which gave way to many talks, with variety and passion running throughout both days.
In this follow-up blog I’ll talk about how I found my second conference, and how it built on what I learned as a young person finding my feet at big events like this.
Don’t be scared of networking!
The conference started on a sunny morning – we all received our badges and thankfully I bumped into Rachel (from McPin, who was also the group facilitator).
The first day flew by and we did our presentation in a (thankfully for my nerves) smaller breakout room after lunch.
Our talk was nice and informal, more like a conversation, helped largely by the very pleasant atmosphere created by all in the room.
Albeit limited, in my experience I find a conversational technique to be effective – it’s less pressure and I also find that the audience is more likely to want to engage.
Waiting for the next day to start I got talking to more people, having presented the day before.
In terms of networking, conferences are one of the best means of it. It can be daunting at first but you’ve just got to bite the bullet and ask yourself ‘what is the worst that could happen?’.
Plus psychologists and sociologists normally love people and so are very approachable. As I mentioned prior, presenting and watching presentations are both very helpful as it gives you some topics and ice-breakers.
The rise in holistic approaches
Psychology isn’t my field (I am studying to be a Dentist) but this isn’t to say that I didn’t learn a lot – quite the opposite in fact! – especially during a talk which explored autism (mainly in children) and the success, or lack thereof, in dental appointments.
I was surprised that this topic came up but it cemented my appreciation for the role of psychology in the success of dental treatment. This talk was delivered by Dr Amrit Chauhan, a lecturer in qualitative methodology and autism-related oral health research at the University of Leeds.
In university education, we are seeing a more holistic approach towards Dentistry, taking in all aspects of a patient’s health and wellbeing rather than zooming on a single complaint they may present with. In the case of learning difficulties and disabilities, this is where Special Care and Community Dentists come in.
I’d still argue that general Dentists also need to have great awareness and understanding of treating patients with autism and that public health strategies could prove beneficial but may lead to less bottom-up solutions.
With the pace of both days, lunch flew by so don’t rely on this break alone! I made my way home and felt all the better for all I'd learnt.
Don’t overdo it
I left slightly earlier on the second day as there’s only so much info one can absorb! And there was plenty of it at the conference.
It brought home the importance of taking breaks at long events such as this. There’s plenty to see but I’d recommend being realistic about what you want to attend most. With the pace of both days, lunch flew by so don’t rely on this break alone! I made my way home and felt all the better for all I’d learnt.
I must extend enormous thanks to the team I’m honoured to have worked and continued to work with at the McPin Foundation and without them I would be all the poorer for the learning and knowledge I’d have missed out on.
The value of conferences for young people (and some closing advice)
In summary, if you’re hoping to get more from conferences, or are nervous about your first, I hope this has helped.
My best advice would be to plan what you want to see and to incorporate breaks. Also don’t be afraid to introduce yourself and network!
A credit to all those involved – I didn’t feel nervous approaching anyone (the name badges helped). This was unexpected considering people’s prestigious titles from prestigious institutions.
This leads me onto my next point – the value of conferences to young people. If you’re a young person reading this, please take the opportunity if ever offered.
Institutions like McPin are great for this, as are universities – keep an eye on your emails!
You never know who you might meet and what you might learn but, most importantly, how much you’ll enjoy yourself. Whether that be presenting, learning or just the food, opportunities like these should be taken advantage of.
For me, it’s been for my growing confidence in public speaking and networking – invaluable skills to gain traction on at a (professionally) young age. In fact, my best advice would be to just go for it!
That’s all from me for now, thanks for reading.
Read Josh’s previous blog here: Advice for other young people after my first ever conference
