What I Learned at HETMA | Small Word AV
What can we do to make our lives in AV easier? Tricks to the trade or a tip that can help me refocus the team’s efforts is what at least I am always searching for. HETMA was last week and the conference focused on keeping it simple. The topic was rich and full of chances to brainstorm and find ways to improve our day-to-day. I will try to summarize the main themes as best as I can in hopes of encouraging you along the way.
The first day focused on highlighting the DEI initiatives that we as an industry are working towards. The Prism Scholarship is something that HETMA has started. This will be a great boost for someone that might not get a chance to start a career in AV. The keynote and the rest of the day talked about ways that we can bring equity to our workplace. The main takeaway that I gathered is that we have to breed trust so that others can feel welcome. A relationship has to be formed and that only comes with time and as you choose to care for that person. We need to have hard conversations. This is how we grow. Respect each story that is shared with you. Things like food can help break the barriers and we need to find creative ways to continue to do this. We have made strides in the last few years but now we have to tangibly choose to include the voices that have not been heard. This has to be a daily decision. Who can you mentor that might not have a chance otherwise?
The second day centered around communication. How are we learning how to step outside our comfort zones to grow. Maybe it is something that you are not good at or have not done. Reaching out to talk to others is a great way to instill confidence. We all have struggles along the way and the best way to fail is to fail quickly so that we can learn from it. Then we can move on and continue to gain experience. We learned about customers and how to create a well-rounded experience. Learning to listen to others is key here. We might need to pump the breaks on providing the actual tech and first figure out what it is our users need. Simplicity is key. No one wants to have to remember a list of things to be able to drive the system. Different people also have different needs so in our training we need to meet them where they are. Learning to receive feedback allows us to grow so that we can improve what we are installing next time. Things like sitting in during a class session and polling random students can also help us view things from a different perspective. These conversations will show that you care and want to foster a space that can be used by all.
The last day dove into standards. These standards should help us grow and also allow us to communicate with others better. We can scale up and know that others will follow and understand what we are asking for. The more organized we are the more we can train students and others on our team about what we expect to happen. We want to find solutions and partnerships instead of just being sold something that powers on. How can we save our team time? What are our pain points? Addressing these questions will allow us to find value in following the guidelines that AVIXA can give us. The one for Higher Ed AV/IT Infrastructure was just updated so please take advantage. These standards also give us credibility. We can then speak with the backing of the greater community about what to do in any given scenario. Implementing ITSM also allows a school to provide structure to its services. We can then have the data that is needed to help make better decisions down the road. This allows us to also present a united front to the user so they know where to go instead of having to dig for an answer.
We continue to have challenging work ahead as we navigate the supply chain demands but these bumps in the road will be easier to get through if we have allowed ourselves the chance to be grounded in these themes that were discussed. Invite more voices to the table, listen to those you are working with, and learn to establish a repeatable plan that can be counted on. Thanks again to everyone involved in making HETMA a smashing success. The value of these events that are free of cost and talking about topics that connect with our needs is invaluable, especially for those of us at a small institution. Best wishes as we now gear up for summer projects!
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb
