I find that when I sit in on all these fantastic Institute sessions with so many great ideas, I need to actively consider how I’ll take my new enthusiasm and ideas back to my library. How will I get my staff on board for something they didn’t see first hand at the conference?
I really like two tips gleaned from Saroj Ghoting’s early literacy training format:
1) Make it personal. My first step will be to ask staff to think about what they already do, to bring a program plan to the discussion to see how new ideas fit in with what they already do (showing that a complete overhaul is not the intention does wonders for morale, don’t you think?).
2) Make it interactive. For new ideas that are foreign to what staff currently do, I will demonstrate those new ideas; seeing a new concept or practice in action makes it seem so much more manageable and exciting.