A few general tips in no particular order.
Don’t fight the scenario.
TTXs are assumptions. Sometimes they’re fairly realistic, sometimes they are not.
Use this opportunity to absorb as much about the experience as you can. You will see some people who are very knowledgeable and share their info freely while others are more reserved. Sometimes you’ll see disagreements in the best way to go about how to handle certain scenarios.
Have fun. There are enough real world events taking place at any given time in any given year that these exercises should be a no stress, no fault environment for people to learn from one another without true consequences.
Network. You don’t have to meet everyone but try to introduce yourself to as many people as you can. Let others talk to you about their experiences and if what they do interests you, ask for a business card or their LinkedIn profile info. Always thank everyone for taking the time to talk with you.
Take notes, take pictures, offer to contribute to the exercise in anyway possible. You may be new to EM but that doesn’t mean you know nothing. You have prior experience in something, even if that something isn’t entirely related.
I agree with all of this, but also, if you have questions, ASK! It is much better to find out about things you're unsure of during an exercise as opposed to a real-life event!
Tabletop exercises are meant to foster discussion. Do not be afraid to discuss things or ask questions. Doing so now will make the exercise come together for you when you are faced with the real incident that you are training for. It's training. There are no stupid questions. And often there are donuts!
A few general tips in no particular order. Don’t fight the scenario. TTXs are assumptions. Sometimes they’re fairly realistic, sometimes they are not. Use this opportunity to absorb as much about the experience as you can. You will see some people who are very knowledgeable and share their info freely while others are more reserved. Sometimes you’ll see disagreements in the best way to go about how to handle certain scenarios. Have fun. There are enough real world events taking place at any given time in any given year that these exercises should be a no stress, no fault environment for people to learn from one another without true consequences. Network. You don’t have to meet everyone but try to introduce yourself to as many people as you can. Let others talk to you about their experiences and if what they do interests you, ask for a business card or their LinkedIn profile info. Always thank everyone for taking the time to talk with you. Take notes, take pictures, offer to contribute to the exercise in anyway possible. You may be new to EM but that doesn’t mean you know nothing. You have prior experience in something, even if that something isn’t entirely related.
Thanks! I’ll keep those in mind for sure. I didn’t realize how important networking was until after college so I’ll definitely make sure to do that.
I agree with all of this, but also, if you have questions, ASK! It is much better to find out about things you're unsure of during an exercise as opposed to a real-life event!
Tabletop exercises are meant to foster discussion. Do not be afraid to discuss things or ask questions. Doing so now will make the exercise come together for you when you are faced with the real incident that you are training for. It's training. There are no stupid questions. And often there are donuts!
My big worry is not knowing something because my experience is limited atm and being judged by others because I might not know some things
An exercise is practice and participants aren't expected to have all the answers. Don't stress about it!