How to Craft and Utilize an Elevator Speech to Prove Your Library's Value

Classic elevator speeches are 2- or 3-sentence statements that pack a punch. Some people refer to them as “value statements” or “soundbites.” When you have just a moment to make an important point, you must use it wisely. During this webinar, Kathy Dempsey will teach you how to speak efficiently and effectively, so you’ll be ready for situations like these:

• Someone asks, "Why do libraries still matter when everything is online?"

• You need to convince a stakeholder or politician to increase funding.

• People ask what you do all day besides read and refill photocopy paper.

• You need to talk with nonusers without becoming defensive.

• The library budget comes up at a public meeting.

Presenter

Kathy Dempsey wrote the popular how-to book The Accidental Library Marketer and founded her own marketing consultancy, Libraries Are Essential. Her work is dedicated to helping librarians and information professionals promote their value and expertise to gain respect and funding. Kathy has been the Editor of Marketing Library Services newsletter for 29 years and was formerly Editor-in-Chief of Computers in Libraries magazine. She's Founding Chair of the Library Marketing and Communications Conference and serves on the Executive Board of LibraryLink New Jersey, a statewide cooperative. This writer, editor, and marketing maven has been giving presentations across the U.S. and Canada for 27+ years, always sprinkling them with humor to make marketing concepts more interesting and accessible.