1. Influencing
Skills for
Special
Librarians:
In Our Own
Interest
Stephen Abram, MLS
EOS Webinars
Nov. 14, 2013

2. Influence out of context is just a party conversation.
START WITH THE “WHY?”

5. The Essential Definitions

6. Advocacy is Different
• Public Relations is getting your library’s
message across – This is who we are and what
we do, where and for whom.
• Marketing is understanding your customer
and how to best deliver services and products
• Advocacy is marketing an ISSUE. Support and
awareness are built incrementally. Advocacy is
an agenda and not an event!

8. Propaganda bad, Spin good.

10. Ask Yourself . . .
How do libraries differ as an issue?
Are special libraries different?
Are librarians different than libraries?
From the listener’s point of view and
experience?

12. Selling Ideas
You are engaging in an INFLUENCE
agenda.
Selling is not a dirty word!
Politics is not a dirty word!

13. Selling Yourself
You are engaging in a long term relationship!
Invest your personality
Position Yourself and not merely your
resources . . .

14. What are you selling?
YOUR COMPETENCIES – NOT JUST YOUR SKILLS
YOUR INSIGHTS AND ADVICE
YOUR NETWORK AND CONNECTIONS
YOUR RESOURCES
YOU!

15. To whom must you advocate?
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•
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Your host enterprise…
Your boss and decisionmakers…
Users, clients, customers…
Vendors…
Who else?

16. Your Network

17. Essentials for Advocacy
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•
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Someone who needs to care
Courage
Trustworthy
Passion
Belief
Proofs
Stories and Knowledge
Respect for whom you need to influence
Understanding beyond caricature (e.g. Politicians, the
“Boss”, Teens, Seniors, The “Public”, Vendors...)

24. Definitions
"Advocacy is planned, deliberate, sustained
effort to develop understanding and support
incrementally over time."
- Dr. Ken Haycock

25. When is Advocacy Needed?
Before you
need it!!

26. AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action
‘

30. Issues and Timing

31. Why is Advocacy Needed?
• Is stuff changing? Then you need to advocate and reposition.
• Survive or Thrive? Choose words carefully since they frame
understanding . . .
• To avoid downsizing of locations, budgets, staff, collections
that hurt end-user success, opportunities and goals
• To address shallow thinking about the web and electronic
resources like e-books
• To speak up for the silent majority of library users
• To position libraries in the minds of funders and decisionmakers
• To prepare for future success and to build a well of support
and goodwill
• To inoculate against political trends and competition for
resources and capital

32. Advocacy
Activities
Must
Be
PLANNED!

33. Crafting messages
Am I an introvert or extrovert or somewhere in between?
Who is the general audience? Who is interested?
What interests them?
What should I do to pique their interest?
Will they agree with what I have to say?
If not (which will likely be the case!) what counter- arguments
should I be prepared to answer?

34. Logic and values
(SLA alignment study results) Bias:
Quality, Speed, Time
savings, Authority, Comprehensiveness, decisionready... the Truth?!
Why do you think there’s a problem at all?
Is it conceptual or pragmatic? What are the costs? Is their
perception of the ‘issue’ the same as your’s?
What kind of solution do you propose?
Does it ask me to do something or to understand something?
Does it match the problem exactly?
Is it a relatively better way, compatible with my

35. Communicating value
•
•
•
•
Intrinsic
Instrumental
Contributory
Exchange

36. Plan within a plan
• Identify your goal and message
• Establish relationships with key decision makers
• Work with key stakeholders, find new friends
• Link with groups that may influence decisions
• Stay up-to-date with research
• Keep plans ongoing

37. Lobbying
Grassroots
Partnering

38. Robert Cialdini's Six Tactics
Authority
• Consistency and
commitment
• Liking
• Reciprocity
• Scarcity
• Social proof
•

39. Homework
1. Identify two to three stakeholders in your
local setting.
2. Learn two things about those stakeholders
that can help you make meaningful contact
with each.
Questions?

40. Seeking and Getting Attention
Hints

41. Beyond Elevator Speeches

42. The Elevator Speech

43. The Starbucks Coffee

44. The Quick Break: Hot Dogs or Deli

45. Lunch

46. Social

48. Build it Yourself?

50. Can You Stand Out in a Crowd?

51. Find Target, Aim, Shoot, Check-in

52. Be The Sun

53. Stand Out in a Crowd

55. Ask for It!

56. Drive them
to what
they want

59. Speak
Up!

60. Money is not the key.

61. TIME IS THE KEY

62. Thank Heaven You Have the Library!

63. Metrics
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Traditional versus New Statistics / Altmetrics
Statistics versus Measurements
Visualizations
Impact Studies using sampling
Geo-IP data
Massive increases in virtual usage
Social Media
Satisfaction surveys

64. The Virtual Handout
• Value of Libraries Megapost
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2013/08/29/value-of-libraries-megapost/
• The Value of Public Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-public-libraries/
• The Value of School Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-school-libraries/
• The Value of Academic and College Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-academic-andcollege-libraries/
• The Value of Special Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-special-libraries/
• Library Advocacy: Save the Library Campaigns
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/01/save-the-library-campaigns/
• Springboard Stories
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/having-the-valueconversation-springboard-stories/
• Cheryl Stenström's dissertation
• http://eprints.qut.edu.au/59510/

68. Learn to tell a
story for
influence and
not just
Information
and
entertainment

69. Testimonials and Word-of-Mouth

70. Breaking Through the Noise

71. The Value of Conversations
source: http://www.distilled.co.uk/blog/wpcontent/uploads/2009/05/conversation.jpg

73. Thanks!
Stephen Abram, MLS, FSLA
Principal
Lighthouse Consulting and Dysart & Jones Associates
Cel: 416-669-4855
stephen.abram@gmail.com
Stephen’s Lighthouse Blog
http://stephenslighthouse.com