The Massachusetts Library System is pleased to announce that we have partnered with LibraryWorks to provide our members with access to their webinars.  These webinars are free to Massachusetts library workers who register through our calendar.  Because we are working with an outside partner, it is important that you cancel your registration in the event that you are unable to attend the webinar.

If you don’t give presentations very often, you might find the task intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Communications maven Kathy Dempsey has given roughly 200 talks over her career, both face-to-face and online. In-person audiences have ranged from 10 people seated in a semi-circle to conference rooms with hundreds of attendees. She’ll share her pro tips on avoiding butterflies, speaking effectively, and keeping people’s attention. Listen to learn:

• Why preparation means everything
• What to know about your audience ahead of time
• How to start the presentation on a good note
• How to make the microphone your friend
• Tips for speaking slowly and clearly
• The power of eye contact
• How to connect to crowds when you’re presenting online
• Things you should avoid doing

Please note that this session is not a tutorial on using presentation software (PPT) or platforms (Zoom, GoToMeeting, etc.). It will concentrate on personal preparation and professional delivery.

Whether you’re about to give your 1st or your 10th presentation, in a small boardroom or a big ballroom, you’ll find some tips here that will make it less nerve-wracking for you and more enjoyable for your audience.

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 in order to gain respect and funding. Kathy has been the Editor of Marketing Library Services newsletter for 27 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 25+ years, always sprinkling them with humor to make marketing concepts more interesting and accessible.