A seminar is a treasure trove of information. But that is not necessarily a good thing. Information is only useful if it is truly understood, consumed by the mind and eventually put into action. Now in the best of worlds, we can assume that you will get a good hold of ALL the information the seminar will show you – but the sad reality is that you simply cannot. Our brain can process only so much information at a time. And sure, you can take notes of everything the speaker is blabbering, but as said earlier, information can only become knowledge once you learn it by heart. Therefore it is better to focus on a lesser number of topics and surely get something, than take a grasp of everything and stupidly lose them all the minute you step out of the room.

So, how do you make sure you truly achieve something from attending a seminar? Simple: like everything else in life, you must know the purpose of the endeavor. If you are not driven by such a purpose, a reason why you’re there, you’ll be lost in all the confusion and in the end waste valuable time you could’ve spent somewhere else.

Identify yourself with this purpose. This is essential because it will stimulate three other important things that are all necessary for you to become changed after a seminar: first, it will get rid of that nagging feeling that joining the seminar is a waste of precious resource, most importantly time; second, it will bring you to a healthy center – a focus, a needed anchor that will keep you in line all throughout the whole event; third, this purpose will help you set your priorities regarding this seminar: the topics to give attention upon, the things that you should drop, the connections you should foster.

Before going to any given seminar, you should ask yourself these questions: What do I need to learn from this seminar? How will it benefit me? Is it worth an investment of time and money? Can I implement what they’ll be teaching into my immediate life? Not only will these questions effectively limit the information that you need, it will make sure that you will put to good use everything that you get from the information treasure trove, which is the seminar.

Try the basics! List, on a simple sheet of paper, what you really want to learn from this seminar. You might say this is a childish ploy, or even an ineffective practice, but nothing reinforces a thought better than a written form of the thought. Take this list with you to the seminar, and even look at it whenever you feel like doing. That way, you can visually check if you’re achieving what you wrote, and if not, you can immediately take the best action for it.

Also, a good way is finding a practical use for a seminar topic in your day-to-day living. That way you can associate in to your life in a very easy-to-remember way. And this will truly motivate you to gain that certain knowledge, because you already have a picture in your mind of what would happen if you already acquired that knowledge and information.