FWSWE was pleased to host Hanna Tong and Amarjeet Kaur as the speakers of the Third General Meeting and our biannual Professional Development event at the Northwest Branch of the Fort Worth Library System on Saturday, November 10th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Thank you to Secretary, Rachel Masters, for planning this great event!
“The professional development event was a great opportunity to learn how to be a better change agent in the workplace and how to become skilled and purposeful in networking when it isn’t a natural talent. I was able to meet several women in successful engineering careers and am excited to continue developing relationships with our new members.” -Rachel Masters
Tong, an Associate Vice President at Tech Mahindra, spoke on The Art of Networking. Some of her tips for networking included practical tips for how to give compliments, how to find commonality in a new conversation, and how to transition throughout networking with an entire room of people.
Amarjeet Kaur, Senior VP of Infrastructure Solutions at Citibank, spoke on Responding to Change. In an ever-changing workplace, it is important to assess emotional status prior to responding to unexpected change in the workplace. Other tips by Kaur include methods of allowing pause prior to responding, how to see the ‘bigger picture’ of why change may be occurring, and how to be an agent of change for your employer.
FWSWE was excited to host both wonderful and qualified ladies. Kaur later wrote a recommendation for FWSWE on Facebook. “This morning, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Forth Worth SWE. It was great to see new and old members of SWE sharing their stories and networking. It was a delight to meet engineers from different streams – from civil [engineering] to telecommunications to software!”
Approximately 13 people were in attendance. Treasurer Ana Gonzalez commented, “It was great seeing new faces! I hope we continue to engage our members to participate.” Aside from the workshops presented by Tong and Kaur, both ladies created conversations after their presentations. “I really enjoyed hearing from FWSWE members on how they would apply tips from both presentations in their daily lives. Sometimes, workshops are theoretical, but I always appreciate what FWSWE hosts because I know I will be able to use it in my workplace,” reflects Vice President Haley Barnes.
After Kaur’s workshop about responding to change, the conversation surrounding the ability to listen and its importance was discussed. “As an engineer participating in sales, I’m constantly promoting a change. Sometimes I have to step back and say to my teammates or clients, ‘Am I promoting the change that you are seeking right now?'” asks an audience member. Another attendee reflected, “I appreciate what you described about listening. I’ve been given feedback at work saying I need to listen to understand, not listening to respond.” 
To review a sneak peek at the presentations given by Hanna Tong and Amarjeet Kaur, please view the videos below or visit our Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/fortworthswe/videos/204175173810108/
https://www.facebook.com/fortworthswe/videos/1581434951958644/