How to Persuade Your Boss
We want you to join us for the 2024 TxDLA Conference!
Not sure how to persuade your boss to fund the conference? Here are some simple steps to help you prepare for your request.
Timing is everything.
Know when to ask. If you have regular one-on-ones, it may be good to talk to them during this time that they have blocked off.
Tell why.
Create an agenda for yourself of all the sessions and networking events you want to attend, and that you will have access to ALL of the recorded sessions after the event ends.
Make an outline with bullet points or justifications on why it will benefit you and your organization.
Show that you will make the most of it, and why networking and attending the workshops and sessions are important. Ask yourself what your short-term and long-term goals are with your organization’s objectives, and pair them with sessions that will contribute the most to the goals. Explain how it will make the organization more effective, functional and flexible.
Explain the top reasons why you should go.
Here are some examples.
- Networking is important, especially in the education industry. The best of the best attend the conference with insights from their experiences and new ideas. I will have the opportunity to meet influencers, speakers, and the leaders in the industry. I can address them with problems we face and get advice, as well as collaborate and share ideas with one another.
- I will learn more about the industry and the latest innovations. Working at (company name) has my full attention and is a career I fully invest in. Attending TxDLA will boost my knowledge and help drive myself and others to success.
- I can represent our organization. I will prepare an outline or presentation of everything I learned at the conference and create a contact list of people and vendors I met. I can then report back to each team or manager, and explain what I learned that may help them.
Sample E-Mail
<Your boss's name>,
The 2024 TxDLA Conference is an important event for digital & online learning, education, training and instructional design professionals, and is the premier event for our industry. I believe by participation in the conference, I will further my professional development and bring back new ideas to the organization and team.
This year’s agenda focuses on “Game On! New players. New Rules. New strategies in digital learning.” The schedule includes innovative and new strategies for student engagement, which is very relevant to my job challenges currently.
The conference features the best from the industry as motivational speakers, breakout sessions, and networking. <go into detail about at least one session from the agenda, here>. This session will help me with my efforts in making our organization more successful and efficient.
Networking is important, especially in the education industry. The best of the best participate in the conference with insights from their experiences and new ideas. I will have the opportunity to meet influencers, educators, vendors, and the leaders in the education and distance learning community through a variety of networking opportunities. I can address them with problems we face and get advice, as well as collaborate and share ideas with one another.
Please check out the conference website conference24.txdla.org. I have been following the conference twitter stream @txdla, and there is a lot of buzz about this event!
The total cost of attending is only <insert appropriate fee here>! This fee includes all sessions and recordings of virtual sessions for me to access after the event ends.
I am happy to chat further about this with you, and answer any questions you may have. I am confident that this event would be worthwhile for my position now and for years to come.
Sincerely,
<Your Name >