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BUILDING YOUR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

What Do I Do AFTER I Log Off? Being a Value-Adding Info Pro
[half day; also available as 1- to 1.5-hour overview]

This lively workshop looks at that part of research which takes place after you finish your searching. What are the most cost-effective and efficient ways to add value to your research results? How can you create deliverables that tell a story and make information accessible? How do you make yourself invulnerable to the "It's All On The Web For Free" syndrome? This workshop will provide you with the tools, resources and strategies to provide a higher level of information service and to clearly demonstrate the additional value you bring to your organization.

From Info Pro to Info Hero: five easy ways to turn information into insight [1 to 1.5 hours] It's no longer enough to efficiently and cost-effectively find the best information. Now we also have to add value to our research products, and develop the services that our clients can't find elsewhere and can't imagine living without. In this fast-paced session, Mary Ellen will provide at least five simple techniques for providing more intelligence in what you send to your clients.

Creating Groupies: info-pro guerilla marketing [1 to 1.5 hours] Marketing may not be in your job description, but it’s a critical part of everyone’s job. Mary Ellen offers techniques for raising the profile of your information center and yourself in ways that are authentic and comfortable to even the most marketing-phobic.

Building Client Luv: what “phenomenal results” look like [1 to 1.5 hours] We info pros live immersed in information, and forget that most of our clients and users want less information, not more. This practical session will offer ideas on how to format research results so that they can be easily taken in and acted upon. Mary Ellen takes “Less is More” to the extreme here; find out how to make the results clear enough to tweet.

Brand You and Web 2.0 [1 to 1.5 hours] How do you manage your online profiles, establish your expertise and express yourself on the web, without compromising your reputation? This session looks at how info pros can make use of the social web to build their professional networks, establish their credibility and share their expertise, without compromising their professional reputation.

Painless (No, really!) Negotiating [1 to 1.5 hours]

Many more things are negotiable than we may think; in fact, much of life involves negotiation. And the effects of not negotiating can be cumulative. This presentation helps you identify who is "the boss of you", develop your ability to "reframe" challenging situations, and build tools to enhance your negotiation skills and approach every situation as negotiable.

SEARCHING AND USING INFORMATION

Super Searching Workshop: How to get more out of web research [half or full day]

Build your own customized half- or full-day workshop, selecting among the 1- to 1.5-hour presentations listed below.

Search Engines You Probably Haven’t Met Before [1 to 1.5 hours]

While Google, Yahoo and Live.com dominate the search engine world, there are many lesser-known search engines that can provide you with the specialized tools you need to conduct in-depth research on the web. This session shows you how to get the most out of some of the non-Google search engines – many of which offer in-depth information that the general-market search engines can’t find.

45 Search Tips in 60 Minutes [1 hour, or 75 Tips in 90 Minutes, 30 Tips in 45 Minutes, etc.]

This is a lively and fast-paced review of some of the key tips, techniques and resources that every web researcher should know. It includes new sites, new tools, and new techniques in the search engines and web resources we know and love.

Advanced and Hidden Features of the Major Search Engines [1 to 1.5 hours]

All of the leading search engines offer more than you see in their Advanced Search pages. This session covers the undocumented and hidden power search tools in Google, Yahoo, Live.com, and more. These techniques will enable you to search in ways you never could before.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Annual Reports: reading and interpreting company financials [1 to 1.5 hours; extended version available as half-day workshop]

More than just statistics, companies' annual reports and financial statements can be a wealth of information for the business researcher and CI analyst. Mary Ellen Bates will provide you with the tools to understand financial reports and provide your clients with analysis in addition to just the facts.

Using the Opaque and "New" Web for Competitive Intelligence Research [1 to 1.5 hours; extended version available as half-day workshop]

This presentation provides fresh approaches, strategies and methodologies to conducting in-depth competitive intelligence research on the web. This session provides tools for searching the invisible and deep web, and looking "sideways" to glean new information from sources that do not, on their face, appear to be resources for CI research, including wikis, podcasts, social networking sites, and other Web 2.0 content.