Members
Subscribe

1. Log in

2. Click on the Community Blog page

3. Click on your name on the top right of the screen

4. Click on Subscribe to Page Updates to receive email notifications of new blog posts

Framework
Search

Resources
RSS

Entries in elevator pitch (1)

Friday
Jan172014

CILIPS Autumn Gathering 2013: privacy is dead; CPD; elevator pitch 

Back on October I did a blog posting about the morning session at CILIPS Autumn Gathering 2013. I promised I would do a posting about the afternoon sessions I attended - so here it is. In the afternoon I choose sessions that concentrated on CPD activities but could be used for IL purposes and attended the final session keynote by Simon Finch (Northen Grid) and I'll start there.

Somon's presentation tilted 'Welcome to the end of the World - E-Safety, Online Behaviour and the Death of Privavcy' was full of lots of warnings that are familiar to those of us interested or involved in e-saftey and online behaviour. He did however also offer some useful suggestions such as:

'Privacy is dead'- we must be seen to manage the risk to the best of our ability so:

  • instead of saying 'don't share personal information' instead we need to say 'how to share personal information' 
  • post like your enemy is watching
  • 'Twitter is the biggest staffroom in the world'.

CPD 23 - Anabel Marsh talked about her participation in CPD23. I had heard of CPD23 and also meant to have a look at it but never got round to it, so this my opportunity. Something that struct me were that the 23 things model has been adapted for for other topics and that it could probably be used for information literacy. Of particular interest to me in CPD23 was 'reflective practice' No 5 and 'advocacy'. The later as Anabel says 'should be part of our toolkit' - I couldn't agree more. The later leads me onto the other session I attended 'Elevator pitch or elevate your pitch' a useful skill to have as part of your advoacy toolkit.

Elevator pitch or elevate your pitch - another thing on my to do list regarding skills was to be able to as Suzanne Wheatley put it to have 'a carefully constructed message that grabs the attention' of someone when I only have a few seconds to do so. Suzanne suggests that in order to achieve this 'with clarity and grace' we need to be

  • concise
  • relevant
  • know what your'e selling.

You also need to create a connection with the person - you can't build a relationship with someone in that short space of time but you can start by making a connection with them so they may be persuaded to meet you at a later date to learn more or hear from you with more information.

She suggested that in crafting your pitch / message you break the pitch down into sections and address each one in turn then put them back together:

  • aim for 30 seconds of talking - 150 / 230 words
  • identify your goal (objective) - what are you pitching (funding, project, services) and what are you trying to achieve (what do you want out of the pitch).
  • introduce yourself (who you are, what you do) - show value, communicate what makes you unique. Don't overload people with information - think quality not quantity - short snapy points.
  • engage with the person - ask an insightful question (how ... / what ... / where ... / do you ... / I saw ... / I read your .... / and allow for the other person to respond. Ask if they have time for a coffee. Exchange email addresses.
  • statge left - e.g. This is my floor. Nice to meet you (handshake). Look forward to hearing from you.

Remember:

  • Delivery is as crucial as content - if you believe in yourself then it shows.
  • Body language is also important: stand as straight as possible; good posture projects confidence; good hand shake (practice - a limp hand shake is not good). 
  • Make eye contact and smile - if you look interested, they will engage with you
  • Consider the volume of your voice (take your lead from the person you are talking to) and the speed (we tend to speak too quickly when we are nervous or have limited time).

As Suzanne says 'being able to pitch yourself with confidence and clarity in thirty seconds is a handy skills in all areas of life. Believe in what your pitching (enthusiasim is infectious), be concise and be compelling.' (View from the Hill: news from the world of information recruitment Issue 11 Summer 2013). See Suzanne's thoughts on the Gathering

For me this skills would be useful as apart of an information literacy advocacy tool.

The afternoon sessions were a great finish to a great day where I had learnt a few things and met some new people plus cauht up on a few that I hadn't seen for a while. great way to catch up with what's happening. 

I also managed to pick up a National Library of Scotland leaflet for tutors and adult learners about what NLS can offer them e.g. tailored tours and visits and online learning reasources at www.nls.uk/learning-zone