Taking Your Ideas to the Next Level An Infopeople Webinar with Joan Frye Williams and George Needham September 29, 2009

Not all good ideas move forward

How can you be more successful?

Start with your community

Build your network in advance

Know your organization

Serve the idea

State your purpose

Build on documented successes

Keep it simple and memorable

Test in a safe environment

Cultivate a sense of urgency

Form a coalition

Don’t just explain, illustrate

“Here’s what’s in it for you…”

Augment your idea with others’ input

Hear the question behind the question

Expect objections It will never work We tried that in 1997 and it was a disaster Our patrons won’t like it It will take too much time We can’t afford it We’d need more staff It means throwing away all the hard work we’ve done You can’t prove it’s any better than what we have This isn’t why I got an MLS

Turn objections into improvements

Target some short-term wins

Respect your audience

Present like a pro

Don’t forget “the ask”

Expect an iterative, non-linear process

Show your passion

What if the answer is “no?”

Let’s continue the conversation Email: hello@georgeandjoan.com Blog: http://www.georgeandjoan.com/blog