From the Director's DeskSeptember 13, 2007 |
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Telling the Library Story - Part IIIn the first installment on this topic, you learned about telling your story to the governing authority of your library. This segment will talk about “Developing Motivating Messages for Your Library.” This is actually the title of a LibraryU course written by Stephen Mongelluzzo of FIRST Communications. When taking this online course you will learn about analyzing your audience. Who are they? How do they feel about the library and its staff? What do they need to know? This is the first step in developing your message, “Who is the message for?” Once the audience is defined, you need to develop the message. What are the key points you need to convey in the message? What action do you want the audience to take because they have received this message? What benefits will the audience receive if they heed the message or what consequences will result if the message is ignored. All this is important if the message is to be heard clearly and have the results you are striving for. Enhancing the message is the next step. Here you streamline, enhance, remove jargon, and polish the message. If this is a message that will be printed in a newsletter, newspaper, flyer etc. you are finished. But Steve has taken this lesson one step further. That step is Practice. When a message is to be presented orally, you need to be able to state it clearly, but also in a variety of ways. The only way to become skilled at this is to practice. That’s right, talk out loud and record yourself to see how you and your message sound. OK, this has piqued your interest, and you are asking, “How can I take this course?” That is easy. Go to LibraryU. If you already have an account, login, and from the course list select “Developing Motivating Messages for Your Library.” You will find it under the topic of Community Building. Don’t have an account in LibraryU? Go to the website and register for an account as a new user. You will find the link to the instructions just below the login box. Oh and while you are there, check out the other courses that you and your staff can take to develop your skills, all free!? Rolling Prairie Library System |
