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When you see the call to present at a state conference or an IFLS workshop, do you assume the people asking for presenters are talking to other people?  Believe it or not, those calls are meant for YOU!  There are lots of reasons to ignore this sort of invitation, and I can totally relate to many of them–feeling like you don’t have much of great importance to share, feeling terrified at the thought of putting yourself out there and speaking in public, lack of time to prepare, not knowing the “rules” of the game.  These are all reasonable concerns, and I think some of them can be overcome with enough persistence and mentoring. 

Earlier this week, Marge Loch Wouters wrote a terrific post in the YSS Blog with lots of great tips for presenters.  And then I saw that David Lee King also wrote a blog post about overcoming fear of speaking and why it is worth the effort.

So, next time you see a call for presenting, either to your library peeps or to others in your community, maybe you should recognize it for what it is–an invitation to YOU!  And if you need some help navigating your preparation, let me know.  I’d be happy to provide whatever help I can.