At conferences I often end up in conversations that go like this:
“I want to do this innovative thing but my administration won’t get onboard—what can I do?”
This is difficult because there are so many factors that need to be unbundled. A common problem I’ve realized is that librarians never learn the art of pitching. [Note to ACRL: I’m willing to do a free webinar on this topic sometime in Summer 2015.]
In the entrepreneurial world there is a lot of talk about recognizing the difference between ideas and opportunities. That’s the real challenge—separating things that might be cool from things that might help people succeed better.
An example. A dentistry librarian once told me we wanted to offer 3D printing but that his boss shut him down. As we talked I realized he had just asked about the idea and didn’t pitch the opportunity. It was as simple as: “can we get a 3D printer?” Boss: “no.” End of conversation.
My advice was to build the story and connect it with potential needs. Are there courses or certain assignments that would benefit from a 3D printer? Is this common in medical or dental libraries? Has anyone asked about it? Have you had any informal conversations with users on it? How much would it cost? Would it be free or would you need to charge a fee? Where would it be located? Is there anyone on campus who might help or even donate older hardware? What does success look like? How would you measure it? What stories (impact) would this 3D printer enable you (and your boss) to tell about the library?
Don’t ask, pitch. Tell me the plot. The characters. The potential outcomes. Get me hooked. Make it hard for me to say no.
A recent pitch
A staff member in my library recently (pleasantly) surprised me with a pitch. He suggested a new service that would require a minimal financial investment, no long-term commitment, and a small physical footprint. He provided cost estimates as well as a list of potential partners/users. He outlined the opportunity and what it would address. He also linked it to a theme that I talk about a lot: showcasing learning.
The most memorable (and lasting) part of his pitch was that he also provided a physical (3D printed) replica of the concept and connected it with a scaled floor plan. This allowed us to talk through the logistics differently than just looking at something on paper. As we moved the plastic pieces around we shifted to how it would operate rather than just should we do this?
Imagine if the dentistry librarian had provided replicas of 3D printed models to his boss. This might have extended the conversation to thinking about learning objects and how the tool (and library) could support various teaching and research needs.
My Back of the Napkin Process
This is very raw but I’ve tried to outline my thinking process:
When someone pitches an idea, concept, or opportunity I always start with why do we want to do this? What do we hope to accomplish Are we improving an existing service or doing something new?
And then: What’s driving this idea? Data? Observations? User requests? Changes to campus policy or curriculum? Peer instances?
Next I think about the process. The usual stuff there: funding, time, space, people. But also, do we have the existing capacity to do this? Do we need to train someone or hire someone? If we do this thing do we have to stop doing something else?
And then, hypothetically -- let’s say we do this, how do we implement? I always favor lean startup but I want to hear about logistics. What are the steps involved with making this happen? And what do we do after it has happened? I want to see evidence that the person has considered the operating model.
Finally, let’s think about results before we begin. I view implementing every idea as a chance to test assumptions. We are trying to build a culture here of ongoing experiments that lead to continuous improvement. Did things turn out as planned? Did we create value? What did we learn?
And last. What do we do next? Keep doing it? Change it up? Stop doing it?
Another approach
I saw this flowchart posted online by Laura Hollister. It is a clever way to think through should we do this thing or not?
Advice and Further Reading
I frequently see MLIS students asking librarians what they wished they learned in library school. Teaching and technology skills (coding) are very common responses. I agree with those but also suggest learning how to pitch. Learn how to present your ideas in a persuasive package.
No matter where you end of working, you will eventually want to make a suggestion. Maybe you want to change a workflow? Maybe you think the library should purchase some equipment? Maybe you want to redesign a classroom? Maybe you want to start a program with a partner on campus? Whatever it is, the ability to tell a story about an opportunity will serve you well.
Read this: Pitching Hacks Search around online—you can probably find a better deal than Amazon’s price.
Lastly, I just want to say that I’m proud to see Virginia Tech is involved with the 1000 pitches program. We are going to screen the full lot of them in my library later this fall.
