October 31 – November 1 I attended the ASTD Leadership Conference (ALC) in Arlington, VA. Much smaller than the ALA annual conference, the ALC had a few hundred participants from ASTD chapters from across the country. Anytime you get this many trainers together in a room you are sure to have a lively group with a lot of energy!

The big ah-ha I got at the conference was focusing on what’s in it for THEM. From training 101 we know that our learners are always tuned to radio WII-FM (what’s in it for me). This applies to so many other areas of our lives. ASTD members want to know what they will get out of their membership. Library customers want to know how they will benefit from using your services. We need to market ourselves better so that our worth is clear to people. We’re facing a tough economy in the coming months and maybe years. We need to stand out from the crowd and from our competition. Do you know who your competition is? If not, find out and do a comparison.

It was great too to see a variety of professional speakers with different styles. I had a chance to say a quick hello to Bob Pike after hearing him speak about how attitude is everything. I never get tired of that message!