The following post was written by CIPP Chair George Schwartz:
Those in attendance in the fully booked CIPP Seminar Reaching Out – The Art of Using Outreach to Grow Your Business were not disappointed. We held our breath listening to all the exceptionally useful and practical material presented by out two charismatic and animated presenters.
Ann Shaftel took the podium first and held our attention with her anecdotes, while giving us practical advice on how we can increase our visibility to the public. Ann spoke from the perspective of many years of practical experience. She wrote a regular newspaper column as an expert in preservation, conservation and restoration, appeared on regular radio and TV programs, live to air call in shows, and even movies.
She explained practical ways of capturing the attention of the audience, to educate and enlighten listeners on the finer points of our field. Ann addressed ethical and legal issues that can become unforeseen pitfalls in doing public outreach. It was obvious that her hard work in putting together her program paid off by capturing the attention of everyone present. We’re grateful for her efforts.
Scott Haskins followed with his presentation after a brief intermission. Those of you who know Scott, already appreciate his success and expertise in social media outreach. During his rapid-fire presentation we also got to appreciate his incisive critical thinking, his quick wit and exceptional good humor.
Scott came very well prepared. Within minutes of the start, we were making unbelievable videos without any camera equipment and posting them on YouTube. Here is a link to the one I made: http://tinyurl.com/7p6l7co . Most everyone came up with something useful just by following Scott’s instructions. He showed us other facilities to produce useful promotional outreach materials and what’s even more important, advice on how to determine who our audience is, what the content needs to focus on and how to avoid the mistakes that so many people tend to make.
I cannot meaningfully summarize the hundreds of points we touched on, but check back here on the AIC Blog as Scott has prepared some useful information which he plans to post online soon.
In closing I have to say, that the knowledge that I gleaned during these presentations was alone worth the cost of my trip to Albuquerque!