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Interest Group Meeting Update
In the January newsletter the next Interest Group meeting was announced for February 19. Since that is actually a holiday (President's Day) the meeting will be on February 26, still at 4 p.m.
There is still time to answer a few questions about best meeting times!
Federation Meetings
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Montana's six library federations will be holding their spring meetings in the coming months, beginning with Broad Valleys in March and ending with Pathfinder in early April (check the ASPeN Event Calendar for specific dates and details). |
This year the State Library Commission has provided additional funding specifically for trustee continuing education and travel to CE opportunities, such as federation meetings or the Montana Library Association conference being held in Butte April 17-20. (It is possible to attend only the training on April 17 in Butte without registering for the entire conference). Talk to your library director or federation coordinator for more information, and we hope to see you soon!
MSU Local Government Center Trainings
If a federation meeting or the MLA conference isn't convenient there are also two more opportunities for 4 hours of CE: Billings, May 14 and Havre, May 21. Travel costs to these can be covered by the additional federation funds as well, so interested trustees should contact their local library. Registration is available in the ASPeN event calendar.
What Resources Do You Need?
The State Library is looking for ways to better support trustees in their job. Please look at this survey to let us know how we can help!
Communication Tips
Have you been more conscious of body language after the tip in the December newsletter? Today we'll review another non-verbal skill that can improve your interactions with others.
A powerful non-verbal communication tool is Mirroring, unconsciously copying the gestures and behaviors of someone else. Humans tend to seek out the familiar, finding common ground. Without realizing, we’re forming a connection or rapport with the other person, which creates a feeling of trust and empathy. Once you’re aware, it’s possible to take advantage of this to influence interactions. Parents who know often use this technique with an unruly child. TODAY’S TIP: Dealing with someone agitated and shouting? Your instinct might be to also become agitated, but resist this; instead, take a breath, remain calm, move slowly and speak quietly. Try to model the behavior you want to see in the other person. There’s no guarantee it will work in every situation, but it can help keep things from escalating.
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