ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Media tips: Speaking successfully

Ed. note: These tips are reprinted with permission from the handouts prepared by ALA for the media training workshop given for division presidents and vice-presidents.

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare. There’s no substitute. And remember it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. There are two elements to every good public address—content (substance) and delivery (style). You need both.

2. Know your audience. Find out who will be there, how large an audience to expect. Ask about the age range, educational background, special interests and activities of the group’s members, their familiarity with libraries.

3. Personalize your message. The goal of the speaker is to deliver information the audience believes it needs. The speech must have value to the audience. It will never grab the audience’s attention if the audience believes, for instance, that libraries are in trouble but there is no threat to them.

4. Talk—don’t “speak.” Aim to be understood, not to impress. Eliminate librarian jargon. Use statistics sparingly. Make generous use of personal anecdotes, examples and experiences that the audience can relate to.

5. Say it and say it again. It’s important in oral communication to repeat key points. Tell them what you’re going to tell them in your opening remarks. Tell them, in the body of your remarks, the details of what you want them to know. And finally, in closing, tell them what you told them—review the major points.

6. Write out your remarks word for word. Then read them out loud. Ask a nonlibrarian to listen and give feedback on whether you are interesting—and understandable.

7. Practice so many times that you have your remarks almost memorized. If you are comfortable speaking from notes, use only an outline.

8. Dress stylishly but conservatively so the audience is listening to what you say—not how you look. Avoid bright white shirts/blouses that will reflect a visual glare if the podium is lit.

9. Make the audience like you. Establish eye contact. Share something personal about yourself—a story your listeners can relate to and that leads into the issue.

10. Tell jokes sparingly. Humor is nice but few of us are comics.

11. Vary the pitch and speed of your voice. Let your passion show. The most memorable and convincing speakers are those who speak from the heart.

12. Use your body—especially your hands, face and upper body to bring additional animation to your remarks.

13. Use visual aids but only if they will add to the understanding or impact of your remarks. Dimming the lights can be negative, especially during an evening meeting.

14. Gauge your audience response and make adjustments accordingly. Beware of fidgeting and whispering. It’s better to bring your remarks to an early halt and take questions than to bore an audience.

15. Be brief. In general, limit your remarks to 20 minutes. Most people, especially in the evening, have a short attention span. Far better to leave the audience wanting more than wanting to get rid of you.

16. Enjoy yourself. You are prepared. You have an important message. If you’re enjoying yourself, chances are the audience will too.

Recruitment open for two ACRL editorships

ACRL Publications in Librarianship. ACRL’smonograph series, ACRL Publications in Librarianship (PIL), will require a new editor to serve on a volunteer basis when Jonathan Lindsey completes his term of service. The incoming editor will serve as associate editor from September 1992 to June 1993 and will assume full editorship for a five-year period in July 1993.

Rare Books & Manuscripts Librarianship.ACRL’s journal, Rare Books ir Manuscripts Librarianship, will require a new editor to serve on a volunteer basis when Alice Schreyer completes her term of service. The incoming editor will serve as associate editorfrom September 1992 to June 1993 and will assume full editorship for a three-year period in July 1993.

Responsibilities and qualifications

Together with their editorial boards, the editors are charged with encouraging research and writing that may be appropriate for their respective publications, soliciting topics, suggesting them to appropriate authors, and editing and refereeing manuscripts. The editor and editorial board of PIL work closely with ALA Books and Publishing Services to assure the highest quality of manuscripts and publication.

Both editorships require ACRL membership, and candidates should have a background of service in academic or research librarianship; experience in research, editing, and bibliographic activities; a concern with publications as a means of professional communication; and an ability to analyze manuscripts for content, research methods, form, structure, or style. The editor oíRBML also needs to have expertise in special collections librarianship.

How to apply

Persons wishing to be considered for one of the available editorships should communicate their interest, accompanied by a statement of qualifications and names of references, by April 15, to: Pamela Snelson, Chair, ACRL Publication Committee, Drew University Library, Madison, NJ 07940; (201) 408-3635. Interviews with final candidates will take place at the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco. B B