Professional Development Summit a resounding success

It was a day of rapture, times six.
Not just because it was on February 6, but because the six speakers at the Wenatchee Valley Professional Development Summit, sponsored by Confluence Health, enraptured, informed, entertained, amused, surprised and educated the audience for hours. Their energy combined with their wisdom created a powerful mix.
The crowd, which ranged from people in their sixties to a little baby accompanying his mom, learned about myriad things, including public speaking, social media and how to go after the life and career that you want.
Shiloh Burgess, executive director of the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce told the group that when speaking in public, nervousness is normal, steady, calm breathing is essential, and preparation is key.
Digital Media Northwest’s Dominick Bonny advised his audience that a strong social media presence has to remain positive, or it might encounter a severe backlash.  Also advisable is to check out what the influencers in your field are doing, he said.
SkillSource’s Lee Hendrickson advised being intentional when creating your best life.
“Even if you’re falling down, do the good little things: eat right, sleep, exercise, get counsel, meditate, sing, pray, do yoga, write on a journal and arrest your negative thoughts,” he said.
Lastly, Wenatchee Valley College’s Stacy Luckensmeyer counseled those wanting to create social capital to follow three key steps: Be valuable, be present and be yourself.  To know yourself, she added, you must define your core values, your strengths, your definition of success and what she termed your “superpowers,” the things you do really well.
Both the morning keynote, Wenatchee High School teacher Brian Higgins, and the afternoon keynote, John Norlin, co-founder of Character Strong and a social emotional learning expert, spoke at length about the importance of developing a strong culture
“Having a strong culture, helps supports your strategic plans, it creates consistency, it makes those involved feel valued and productive,” Higgins said.
Norlin taught the three ingredients of a strong culture: clarity, competence and consistency.
“Clarity is what people believe in and care about. It has to be rock-solid. Competence is what people know how to do, some of which people don’t always know, and which must be very clear. Consistency is what people do day in and day out,” Norlin said. Consistency and clarity without competence means the group will be busy, but not productive. Consistency and competence without clarity leads to a group that is busy, but not passionate. Competence and clarity without consistency leads to good ideas, but not good habits.
The crowd praised the quality and wisdom of the presenters at the summit.
Michele Oaks, from Numerica Credit Union, called the event a great summit, praising the organizers' idea to have high school students attend and "learn what it's like to be in business," she said.
The presenters relished the energy of the crowd.
Skillsource’s Hendrickson highlighted how engaged in the talks the audience was.
“They seemed like they were glad they came,” he said, "People were here on time, eager to participate, loving it."
Christina Schull of Integrity Piercing, agreed, saying she will be back for next year’s summit, scheduled for the fall of 2021.
"This was my first time attending," she said. "It won't be my last."
Stay tuned to this blog, www.wenatchee.org for how to participate in next year’s Summit.