Instruction
The following section will discuss the experiences I have had in grad school with designing and presenting lessons in front of a group. Though my formal opportunities may not be many, there has been a public speaking class in almost every one of the classes that I have taken, both in undergrad and in grad school. From book talks in either of my reader's advisory courses to the formal presentation my colleagues and I did at the San Francisco Zen Center, my public speaking skills have grown in leaps and bounds, not to mention what I have learned about designing and implementing educational plans.
Training & Development
During the MLIS class "Instructional and Training Strategies for Information Professionals," we were tasked with designing a training and development program on an information skill that would likely be taught at a library or other institution. This task required us to research our target group and identify the most effective ways to get the information across, including identifying how to best build and appeal to the group's ARCS: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. This exercise provided us the opportunity to really delve into the mindset of a user group, identifying their most pressing information needs and how to best satisfy them. We were tasked to actually design the lesson and give a brief overview to the class as though the class were the group in question. This was an excellent exercise in public speaking and confidence building. You can read my user needs assessment and my training and development program for senior citizens using the Kindle.
The skills I learned during this exercise would apply to any user group and any lesson. Also, user needs assessment is extremely important whenever you are in the position of making information available for others. What I learned while researching this user group will translate to creating finding aids and making information accessible in any archival situation.
The skills I learned during this exercise would apply to any user group and any lesson. Also, user needs assessment is extremely important whenever you are in the position of making information available for others. What I learned while researching this user group will translate to creating finding aids and making information accessible in any archival situation.