In this episode of Roompact’s ResEdChat, with Bernard Nichols, Assistant Director of Student Conduct at Johns Hopkins University, we explore the importance of professional networking and conference engagement for student affairs professionals. From cultivating meaningful relationships to making the most of conferences, listen to learn more about how to make the best impression with your professional presence. So let’s discuss!
Guest: Bernard Nichols (he/him), Assistant Director for Student Conduct, The Johns Hopkins University
Host: Jasmine Nettles
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Roompact’s ResEdChat podcast is a platform to showcase people doing great work and talk about hot topics in residence life and college student housing. If you have a topic idea for an episode, let us know!
Transcript:
Jasmine Nettles:
Hey y’all, and welcome back to another episode of the Roompact ResEdChat podcast. I am one of your hosts, Jas Nettles, and in honor of conference season, I have a very cool topic for us to get into today. Before we start, Bernard, can you introduce yourself to the people?
Bernard Nichols:
Absolutely. And thank you for having me back. I love it over here at Roompact.
Jasmine Nettles:
The numbers tell us that the people like you. So-
Bernard Nichols:
[inaudible 00:00:27]. I’m honored. But my name is Bernard Nichols. I, of course, started out in all things residence life, but now I am working in student conduct. I serve as the assistant director for student conduct at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Jasmine Nettles:
Nice. Well, thank you, B, and welcome back. So just to share too, if you’re new here, I’m an associate director for residential curriculum, living learning communities, and signature events. So it’s a very long way of saying that residential engagement, campus partners and relationships are a very big part of my job, right? So today I want us to talk a little bit about the importance of professional networking and how do we lean into what our professional presence looks like in a conference space or just in building our networks in general. So this is building relationships, making the most out of your conference experience, but also just leaning into or creating the best impression you can when it comes to your professional presence.
So for my first question, you know me, I like to start looks, because I know how the girls like to tussle. My first one, let’s talk about some misconceptions people have when it comes to networking.
Bernard Nichols:
You know, as a grad and even as a new professional or an entry-level professional, I be intimidated, Jas, by networking, especially when it came down to talking with those upper senior-level professionals. And I think one thing I learned through that is that they want to talk to you and there’s nothing wrong with approaching them to introduce yourself and to share a little bit about your expertise or how your expertise may align with what it is that they’re doing. So I know that that is one misconception for sure, and so if you are out there and you’re like, “Oh my goodness, I’m nervous to talk to a VP…” Go ahead and talk to them.
Jasmine Nettles:
Yeah. I think I would add to that, a lot of people think that in order to have a positive experience, in order to build a relationship with a network of people, you have to be the loudest person in the room or you have to be the person that everyone’s looking to and asking questions for and I’m asking questions of, and that is just not the case. I think there is, especially because we have so many different conference options, professional development looks different for different people. That’s webinars, but also in-person experiences. And so if you’re not the most extroverted person, networking and conferencing, it’s still for you.
But yeah, so then understanding that and being aware of that, let’s talk about professional presence. So, obviously, you have to create networks because building relationships is how you build a career, and a lot of people don’t give that a lot of credit. So, B, can you talk about why it’s important to build a professional network? And then we’ll get a little bit into what your professional presence means.
Bernard Nichols:
Yeah. I mean, in any field though, especially this one, it’s important to understand what your brand is. Who you are as a student affairs professional, it matters greatly, and while some people may disagree, ultimately it really is about who you know. And so the way that you put yourself out there can sometimes result in you getting a job opportunity that you never thought that you’d get. I remember-
Jasmine Nettles:
Or even considered. Mm-hmm.
Bernard Nichols:
Absolutely. I remember going to my first conference back in 2018 and I met a colleague, and in 2020, when the pandemic hit, he reached out and was like, “Hey, apply for this job right now.” And so it’s very important to build your brand in a good way, whether that’s in person at a conference or it’s on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, right? And so just be mindful of how you present yourself in those spaces because first impression is everything, and when you do something that’s not so good, this is a small field, folks will [inaudible 00:04:40].
Jasmine Nettles:
Yeah. And I think as far as the importance of building a professional network, these are the people who are going to talk about you, these are the people who are going to recommend you to other people, these are the people that you are going to share space with at these professional experiences. Leave them separate and they will go back and talk about these people that they met and you’re either going to have a positive interaction with these people or it’ll be negative. And I think understanding that those positive people, that’s who help make up your professional identity and it also allows you to get different experiences, and even if it’s not in, like I knew very little about orientation, but I learned that orientation is directly connected to retention at a lot of institutions because I had a conversation with somebody in grad school.
Bernard Nichols:
Yeah.
Jasmine Nettles:
And that part, understanding that those people that make up your network also affect how people perceive you, assists in controlling and building your professional presence. So, B, what does your professional presence mean to you?
Bernard Nichols:
My professional presence means that when I do show up in spaces or when I am engaging, I am making the most of that experience, right? And so it’s not just me introducing myself and saying, “All right, it’s nice to meet you,” really talking to individuals about what it is that I do and who I am as a person as well, but it’s also a way for me to connect with folks in similar functional areas so I can have a sounding board later on. I think that networking is not just an opportunity you take to get something out of it that benefits you as far as, “Ooh, I know this person can give me that. Let me reach out.” It’s more of, “I’m dealing with this situation at work and I know that you have been in this functional area a little longer than me. What advice could you give me to help me navigate this issue?” Right?
And so for me, that’s how I make the most of my professional presence, by maintaining that contact with folks, by reaching out, because again, my mom always say two heads are better than one, right? You can’t always craft solutions by yourself to the problems you have, and so by being intentional about who you’re connecting with, you now have a slew of people that you can reach out to to get advice to, to get advice from, and to give advice to, because you also, as a professional, have something to offer.
Jasmine Nettles:
Yep. And to add to that, I would say professional presence is also… If you can hear my dog, she’s in the background, but she’s living her best life. I think that professional presence includes your tone of voice, it includes the volume of your voice in a space, it includes how you speak, like I’m somebody and people get at me all the time, I speak with conviction a lot, and that is what made a lot of people pay attention to me when I’m speaking in professional spaces. And a lot of that is just because I’m still a little bit unrefined, so I’m still trying to find that sweet spot and just saying what I think, you know?
Bernard Nichols:
Yeah.
Jasmine Nettles:
And I think also the way that you dress, the way you carry yourself, like being a professional means 25 different things, and I think a lot of people try to fit it into one narrative and it’s just simply not. Like I’m someone, I’m going to figure out a way to bring a superhero something into my attire, into my bag, into something that I’m doing at a conference because it’s a part of my personality, but it also brings me comfort.
Bernard Nichols:
Absolutely.
Jasmine Nettles:
So when you’re taking up space, are you comfortable? Do you look like you want to be there? What’s your posture like sitting in a seat or at a round table? Are you making eye contact? Do you have a good handshake? Do you know what side of your shirt your name tag goes on? So literally very simple things, but also things that create those interpersonal connections as you go.
So I know that for us, that was something we were taught, like we practiced that when we were in grad school, and what I’m learning is a lot of people aren’t now. It’s just not because the pandemic really did a number on those in-person types of experiences, and even just the education piece from a seasoned professional standpoint, people stopped conferencing for a while, and so a lot of those new or entry-level professionals didn’t really get that. So they’re getting it now, but I want us to talk about that part, the engaging and how you’re showing up and maybe how to make the most out of those networking opportunities on site at a conference, things like receptions or how do you engage in sessions, to exhibit fairs, because exhibitor fairs, I am the person that runs the other way. I don’t want to talk to the vendors, okay? Because for a very long time I was like, “I’m not the person that make these decisions.” But I am now. So talk a little bit about that, B.
Bernard Nichols:
Yeah. So you mentioned three types of settings and opportunities there, and when I think about receptions, usually when we are going to conferences, we’re going with our delegation, we have our people from our institution there. While it is a great opportunity to spend time with those individuals, I think separation is also needed. You see those individuals every day. And so branch out and meet new people. It’s just as simple as going up to a cocktail table and saying, “Hi, can I join? My name is Bernard and I work at this institution,” right? And then just get the conversation started.
So I would suggest doing that. Also, going to sessions, being actively engaged in sessions, but choosing sessions that really aligns with what it is you’re doing currently in hopes of taking something back to your institution. And so as you are in those sessions, if you have questions, ask those questions. If you want to connect with the presenter after and say, “Hey, can we potentially schedule a touch point after this whole conference experience is [inaudible 00:10:58], let’s do that,” but also being mindful in those sessions about your airtime, [inaudible 00:11:04] how you’re showing up.
Jasmine Nettles:
Right.
Bernard Nichols:
Who’s the one that’s always asking the questions and talking and really not giving someone else the opportunity to speak. Because that really goes into the ability to read a room, right? And so just being mindful of how you show up because people will talk about you.
And in regard to vendors, just like you, I ran away from vendors. I used to think that I’m not in a position to make a decision about having a vendor provide a service to us, but it is beneficial. If you see vendors at a conference that you possibly work with at your own institution, for example, if you use eRezLife and you see eRezLifender, there’s nothing wrong with going up and saying, “Oh my goodness, hi. We use eRezLife.” Right?
Jasmine Nettles:
[inaudible 00:11:53] the time, yeah.
Bernard Nichols:
You may have questions about the functionality that they can answer for you. And even if you’re interacting with those new vendors, get to know what the product is and how it could be beneficial because maybe it can fulfill a need that you have on your campus. And while you may not necessarily be able to make the decision, you can [inaudible 00:12:15] and say, “Hey, I met with this vendor. They’re really dope and I think they can assist us. Maybe do some follow-up with them. This is the person that I talked to.”
Jasmine Nettles:
Yeah. And I think from the networking receptions and the sessions, being intentional about what networking receptions and educational sessions you go to, reading the descriptions of things is a big thing. I know a lot of the times, especially with features like guidebook and stuff where you can look up the title, a lot of the times we see the title and we’re like, “Oh, this sounds so cool,” and then you get into a session and it’s nothing like what you thought it was going to be. You read the description and the description told you that it was not going to-
Bernard Nichols:
Or it’s not for your intended audience.
Jasmine Nettles:
Or it’s not for your audience, so maybe not your level of professionalism, not your region or your state. I think especially networking receptions too, if there is a state meetup, go to your state meetup so that you can learn who’s around you, who’s connected, because it might be somebody you just said hi to in passing and didn’t even realize that y’all are in the same state. I’m so excited for SACSA this year because I was able to participate in the Mid-Managers Institute this past summer and it’s going to be a big reunion for everybody that’s coming, but it’s also for past attendees. So there’s probably going to be people that I’ve known for four or five years and I didn’t even realize that they were in MMI before me. And just being able to find that opportunity to reconnect with people, but also establish new connections and just branching out. Like, vendor fairs are so fun, and they always have free stuff and swag. And even if you can’t make a decision, go sit on a comfortable chair and tell those people, “Thank you for coming to spend time with us at the conference.”
Bernard Nichols:
Absolutely.
Jasmine Nettles:
So I love that too. And so with that, which I’m sure is going to be your favorite part, your favorite question based on our prep, let’s talk about some do’s and don’ts when it comes to conferencing and what that looks like.
Bernard Nichols:
Yeah. So as far as do’s, get your money’s worth, right? Your institution is investing in you. And considering where we are right now, a lot of institutions are limited.
Jasmine Nettles:
Right.
Bernard Nichols:
So you get the opportunity to go, get your money’s worth by going to those events, by going to those sessions, and actually taking something back. That’s why they sent you there. It’s not a vacay, it’s still professional development, and so get the most out of it.
Jasmine Nettles:
Right.
Bernard Nichols:
I mentioned this do earlier, but I just have to re-emphasize it a bit. Branch out.
Jasmine Nettles:
Branch out.
Bernard Nichols:
Branch out, meet new people, learn new things, share your expertise. Because I think a lot of times when we go in the conference space, we find it difficult to talk about ourselves because-
Jasmine Nettles:
What we’re doing.
Bernard Nichols:
… we’re so interested in getting to know everybody else. Share with people what it is that you know and what you’re doing on your campus because I’m sure you’re doing great things. And so those are a couple of dos that I can think of right off the bat.
As far as don’ts, usually when we go to conferences and receptions, there are libations, right? Make sure that you know how to handle yourself in those spaces. If you are the type that cannot handle wine or liquor or beer, leave them alone.
Jasmine Nettles:
Don’t touch it. If [inaudible 00:15:49] has told you, don’t touch it.
Bernard Nichols:
Don’t touch it. And I’m being real here because while you may not think folks are looking at you, folks are looking at you, and they’re going to talk about you, and it’s only you that’s gotten yourself in that position, and so don’t do that. Also, when it comes down to engaging with others at a conference, we’re all grown here, this is Roompact, so I’m just going to put it out there, be mindful of how you… Do not, okay?
Jasmine Nettles:
Don’t forget yourself.
Bernard Nichols:
Don’t forget yourself.
Jasmine Nettles:
Don’t forget yourself.
Bernard Nichols:
If you’re picking up what I’m putting down. Don’t mix business with pleasure. Please do not-
Jasmine Nettles:
The language that don’t get confused in building those relationships that you are overly personal, overly informal in-
Bernard Nichols:
Correct.
Jasmine Nettles:
… strictly professional settings.
Bernard Nichols:
Absolutely.
Jasmine Nettles:
And if you’re anything like me and Bernard, we have a lot of friends at any conference we go to. At some, it doesn’t matter what size of the world we go on, there’s always going to be somebody I know at this conference that I can have a good time with, and we are going to be mindful of… And we have done it too. We’ve been grads, we’ve been entry-level, and we have made these mistakes. And so being mindful that even though you are having a good time socially, you are still in a professional space, and that applies to any type of conversations, the type of language that you use, the things that you talk about. For either from your institution or things you’ve heard about other people’s institutions, be very mindful of the space that you write in.
Bernard Nichols:
And do not go to a conference, and I’ve seen this happen so much, Jas, where I go to a conference, we’re in a session, and we may be, for example, talking about institutional politics, and then you raise your hand and you start talking about your [inaudible 00:17:50] politics and how you don’t like it and everything that you say is negative. But what you didn’t realize is someone knows your VP.
Jasmine Nettles:
Oh, yeah. Or your direct supervisor
Bernard Nichols:
Or your direct supervisor. And they go back and they say, “Oh, I was in a session, and one of yours-
Jasmine Nettles:
It’s happened to me.
Bernard Nichols:
“… has so much to say.”
Jasmine Nettles:
It happened to me as an attendee, but also as a supervisor. Mm-hmm.
Bernard Nichols:
Oh, it’s happened to me. So just be mindful of that. And again, usually we do bond over those negative experiences, right? But just like doing interviews, if we talk about something that’s happening that’s not so good, how do we turn around and finish it on a good note? And so just keeping that in mind.
Jasmine Nettles:
Yeah. And it’s so important to have conversations like this too because I know, like I said earlier, baby, it is SACSA time, and SACSA, it is 100% a strictly upper. Is it a professional reunion of colleagues? Absolutely. But it’s also, for a lot of us, our professional home. And so we are very comfortable in these spaces, and I think that reminding folks of that is always key, and I know we have those conversations in our groups about what we are doing and what we ain’t doing.
Bernard Nichols:
Yeah.
Jasmine Nettles:
And so all of those things, obviously thinking of all of that, let’s talk about how someone who either maybe is leaning and having a very comfortable experience or still kind of struggling to figure out how to maintain these connections that they’ve built, knowing all of that, outside of just exchanging business cards or connecting on social media, what does that look like, you think?
Bernard Nichols:
I think one, and I learned this at NPI because I went to the New Professionals Institute last, engage on social media with their posts. If they’ve reached a milestone, congratulate them, and I’m sure that they do the same for you. But also, don’t just take the business card and you store it and you never reach out to that individual. Make such point after and say, “Hi, it was so nice meeting you at whatever conference it is that we met at, and I’d love to stay connected.” And so really communication is key when you make those connections, because it’s easy a couple months after to go through those business cards and you’d be like, “Who was this person?”
Jasmine Nettles:
Wrong way. Mm-hmm.
Bernard Nichols:
Right. Just get rid of it, right? But also I think what you can do proactively is set an intention. What’s the intent behind the connection? Am I connecting with you to do some benchmarking? Am I connecting to you for a mentor-mentee-type opportunity? Am I connecting you just to share some resources that I may have that may be helpful to you? And so establish the intention, because if you don’t do that, even when you reach out, it’s going to be a little weird.
Jasmine Nettles:
Right.
Bernard Nichols:
“It was so great to meet you at the conference.” And then they’re going to like, “It was great to meet you too,” and then nothing else after that. And so state the intention, and I think that you’d be in a good place after the conference experience is over with.
Jasmine Nettles:
Yeah. And it’s so easy too to be like, “Well, we met. They probably won’t remember me. We had a really good introduction.” If you connected enough to exchange information, contact them. Like I met someone, I met a really good friend. I’m hoping she’s at SACSA this year. I need to actually text her. But we met. She was still a grad student when we met at SACSA last year. Not SACSA, SEAHO this past year.
Bernard Nichols:
Okay.
Jasmine Nettles:
And just something I said in a session, she came up to me afterwards and was just like, “I really want to talk to you some more. Are you okay with that?” And I’m like, “Sure.” If you know me, I’m a yapper. I’ll talk to anybody, especially if it’s in the professional space. But connected with her after. She ended up interviewing me for one of her higher ed grad program, one of her assignments for class, I ended up helping her prep for her job interviews just because she came up to me and said hi. And she was just a grad student. She was in her second year. Well, she was in her first year going into her second, and I was just saying something in a conference session. She didn’t want anything, she didn’t need anything from me. She just wanted to talk to me, and I’m still connected to her to this day.
And even if you’re someone too that works better on social media, use that to your advantage for social media, but also email. It’s that simple. And sometimes people don’t respond right away, but I guarantee you it’s not because they don’t see the email or the communication, but just stay connected.
So yeah, with all of that too, some of this is on organizations as well, because I have been to conferences, and it’s very clicky, and it’s very, “She doesn’t even go here,” vibes, right? And I wonder as we are approaching our veteran status now in higher education apparently, and I wonder if you have any ideas or suggestions, because I know I do, on how we as a field, but as different organizations, we can foster a more inclusive and supportive networking space outside of just educational sessions from all over or from across the field.
Bernard Nichols:
You know, Jas, I truly struggle with this one, and I’m going be transparent there. I think one thing that we are used to… I love that. I think one thing that we are used to are affinity spaces, and of course we will get with our affinity space, a place where we feel safe, and I do think that those spaces are needed, but I also think that considering where we are in higher education, the organization may not be able to do that as much or as they would like to. And so I do think that we have to go to the drawing board to figure out how we can do this. And honestly, I think as well, we should be a bit more intentional about reaching out to those that we see in conference spaces that may look lost.
Jasmine Nettles:
Yeah.
Bernard Nichols:
And everyone else.
Jasmine Nettles:
Or just sitting by themselves, yeah.
Bernard Nichols:
Right. I think it goes back to what you mentioned, everyone isn’t extroverted, everyone isn’t the life of the party, and so making sure that we’re checking in on them as well, because some may perceive them to be, “Oh, they’re too cool for school. They don’t want to engage,” when that’s not even the case.
Jasmine Nettles:
Right.
Bernard Nichols:
Go up to them and introduce yourself. Maybe it’s their first conference, right? And maybe they’re the only one from their institution, and they’re trying to find a space to be in. And so I think for me, it’s reaching out to those and then bringing them in, but also with space, and some may not like this, be willing to open up that space.
Jasmine Nettles:
To other people, yeah.
Bernard Nichols:
I get being protective of an affinity space, but also we all work in higher education and student affairs and we all need to learn from each other. And so how can we be intentional about opening that space up to allow others who may not necessarily be a part of that affinity to learn and take things from us and take it back to their institution.
Jasmine Nettles:
Yeah. And if I were to add anything, my recommendation would be to take better advantage of the location, because for some people, it’s exposure to new opportunities or things that they wouldn’t have done otherwise. I had never even swung a golf club, not mini-golf, not put-put, until I went to a top golf social at SEAHO. And even that was so fun because it turned into a bit of a chaos. If you know me at a conference, I am a great time. But it turned into another experience, and the few people from my delegation or the people that I met at that social, I still know, and if I see them to this day, we have that memory in common. And now when I go to top golf, I know how to hold the golf club now, and I know what the numbers on the screen mean. But I would’ve never had that type of experience had I not had that opportunity at a conference.
And so being able to just create experiences for people, especially with everything going on in legislation and the changes across state to state, it doesn’t always have to be affinity groups creating spaces. It can be [inaudible 00:26:54]. Everyone come together or everyone has an option to participate in this excursion. And I’ve seen, we’ve done some really cool things, I know, in our conference experiences, from the locations and just the hotels or the cities that we’ve been in. I’ve been to a lot of cities for the first time that were on my bucket list because it was for a conference, and having time throughout the conference to kind of take a beat and see what’s around and look around has been, it was great. So I love it.
But that was a good chat, B.
Bernard Nichols:
Right?
Jasmine Nettles:
It was a good chat. I think-
Bernard Nichols:
We’ve grown.
Jasmine Nettles:
But yeah, and it’s so crazy to hear us talk about it now because we were running away from conferences when we were in grad school. We were like, “A conference? For what? Why am I doing this?”
Bernard Nichols:
You’re either running away or running amok, honey.
Jasmine Nettles:
I love it. But I love it. So thank you so much for joining me, B. Listeners, thank y’all so much for tuning in. I hope that you all take something very good away from this. And if you want to connect, Bernard and I will both be at SACSA in Louisville coming up in November.
Bernard Nichols:
Yeah.
Jasmine Nettles:
I go to several conferences throughout the year, and if you ever see me, please do not hesitate to say hello. Or if you just need someone to sit next to, I’m your girl.
Bernard Nichols:
Absolutely.
Jasmine Nettles:
I love it. So thank y’all so much, and I will see y’all in the next episode. Bye y’all.
