5 Ways to Use The Summer Event Lull to Your Advantage

Summer months bring a natural lull in formal events, conferences, and training opportunities. While the pace may slow, this season is actually an ideal time for government employees to refocus on professional development and education.

Since summer offers a valuable window for intentional growth, here are five ways to make the most of it.

1. Create a learning plan - Summer is a great time to reflect on personal or team goals and set a plan that you can put into action when events ramp back up in the fall. Set goals aligned with individual career aspirations or agency strategic priorities. Whether it's gaining a new certification, building data literacy, or learning about emerging technologies such as AI or cybersecurity, having a roadmap makes professional development more actionable. Managers should encourage their teams to complete this same exercise and provide any support needed.
2. Look for on-demand learning resources - There are a wide variety of on-demand courses available. Review your organization's training options, and search for publicly available courses that relate to topics you want to learn more about. GovEvents, for example, has over 3,500 on-demand webinars in our database.
3. Consider micro-learning - Professional development doesn't always require hours of training. Microlearning--short, focused bursts of content--can be just as effective. Look for short videos, podcasts, or articles that will provide insight on topics you are interested in exploring. GovWhitePapers is a great resource to find easily consumable content pieces on a wide variety of topics.
4. Create your own event - Invite internal subject matter experts to lead sessions on their specialty areas via brown-bag lunch sessions or other workshop-type events. These events should be accessible for anyone in the office to attend in order to support their professional development goals. Being the presenter at an in-office event is also a great opportunity for staff to grow their public speaking experience.
5. Plan ahead for fall - Use the slower summer months to identify what events you'd like to attend in the fall and winter. Search by topic, location, and more on GovEvents to build your schedule for professional development. With tight travel and training budgets, the sooner you can get requests in, the better chance you'll get approval in time to attend.

Summer doesn't have to be a professional pause. With intentional planning, it can become a season of focused, meaningful growth. By taking advantage of available resources, encouraging peer learning, and carving out time for self-directed education, government professionals can emerge from the summer better equipped to lead, serve, and innovate.