I believe I understood that a couple of you would like
to work on your people skills as a part of your
museums work.  Somewhere in my carpet bag of resources
is time spent affiliated with training in a corporate
environment.

Here are some ideas:

1.  Work on your public speaking and interaction
skills by getting connected with a Toastmasters in
your area.  Even if your job does not require
interface with the public, you still have to interface
among your peers and, if you are having trouble with
assertiveness, you may gain self-confidence over time
by networking within  that organization.

For more information about Toastmasters, go here:

http://www.toastmasters.org/

2.  Let me first preface this by saying it is
expensive, but so is NOT having good skills in this
area.  I found this to be one of the best courses I
ever took.  For me, personally, it was life changing.


Consider enrollment in the Dale Carnegie Leadership
Training.  http://www.dalecarnegietraining.com/

I'm going to be absolutely honest about this one.  I
worked an angle to get mine paid for by my employer.
My trick went something like this:  Remember that cute
little performance appraisal you gave me that said
blah, blah, blah?  Well I found a course I believe
will help me improve this.  If you will pay for it, I
will go on my own time.

Now I realize a lot of museums don't have the money
for that kind of an angle, but if it works, go for it!

3.  We've all heard about the importance of
volunteering as it relates to getting a job in the
field.  People wanting to break into the profession
are encouraged to volunteer at museums to gain skills,
confidence, and contacts.

Well, I'm going to make another recommendation, again
borne of personal experience.  If you've been lucky
enough to secure a job in the field and feel you've
arrived in some way, don't stop there.

Keep volunteering.  Only this time, spend some time
volunteering in an area and for an organization not
related to your museum.

Now why do this?  I know you think I've completely
lost it.  There's method in even this form of madness.

In your day to day, you have parts about your job that
will just leave you feeling so-so, perhaps
unchallenged, or with feelings that somebody doesn't
think you can do whatever.  You're unloved and
underappreciated.

I found that my own personal leadership skills, and
hence my self-confidence, grew many times over by
volunteering for things that were not a part of my
normal routine.

These could be through other nonprofits in your area,
in the schools, in your city, or . . .

Stop.  I can hear you now.  I'm so tired.  I work so
hard.  I have no time left over.  I have a family.

I understand.  Really I do.  But you may be as lucky
as I was to find out that, when you give of yourself
to others without quantifiable recompense, it's
envigorating.  Just the gratitude from somebody else
whom you have chosen to help can mean a lot.

If you have small family, well, let me dig into the
carpet bag again.  Hmm, let's see.

Oh, I've got it!  Find something you can do to
volunteer together as a family.  Visit in a senior
home or a hospital.  It will come to you.

For me, personally, stretching beyond the boundaries
of my own job helped me to grow in leaps and bounds.

4.  Finally, to help yourself and help your
organization, consider joining some sort of civic
organization within your community that has NOTHING to
do with museums.  Chances are they'll be thrilled to
have someone as smart as you, and you may be able to
recruit new patrons and volunteers for your
organization.

Remember, when you go out into the public and identify
yourself as a museums professional, you are the best
marketing agent the profession could have.  You and
your sunny disposition with a wealth of resources and
insider trivia (like little anecdotes about exhibits
that perhaps the public in general is not aware) can
go a long way in increasing revenue and getting
donors.


I hope these ideas are of benefit to you.

=====
Indigo Nights
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