Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

I’ll never forget the first time I spoke in front of a community group on behalf of the library.

I was a nervous mess. The pressure was high. So much was riding on my five minutes in front of this group. I wanted to connect with my audience, transfer some of my passion for the library to their souls, and inspire them to action.

A community presentation is a unique opportunity to talk directly about the value of your library. What you say in those moments will stick with people longer than any flyer or sign ever will. But for maximum impact, you must take a strategic approach to your presentation.

And, although I know that five minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time, it is! If you don’t believe me, stop reading this blog, set a five-minute timer, and just sit there with your eyes closed trying to predict when the timer will ring.

Five minutes is a LOT of time. And you can do a lot in five minutes!

Here are seven tips to make any presentation engaging and impactful. Scroll down to see a sample outline I’ve created to walk you through creating a presentation that hits the mark, even when you only have five minutes to share.

Refer to the library as “your library.”

Many people in your audience may haven’t visited or used the library in a long time. They may not think of the library as belonging to the community, and they certainly won’t think of the library as belonging to them personally.

So, in your presentation, refer to “your library” as many times as makes sense. This is a subtle way to let your audience know that the success of the library affects everyone in the room.

Start with a hook.

You want your audience to be interested and attentive, and the best way to do that is to start right off, not by introducing yourself, but with a surprising fact or statistic about your library.

For example, “Your library sees about 20,000 people who come into the physical building every year—that’s enough to fill our high school football stadium four times over! I’m Jane Doe, and I’m here to show you how your support of the library impacts those 20,000 people.”

You could also begin with a short, compelling story about how the library positively impacted someone in the community.

For example, “I want to begin by introducing you to Susan. Susan was laid off about 6 months ago, after spending more than 20 years at her company. She came to your library for help finding a new job. We spent time updating her resume, searching for jobs that fit her experience, and practicing interview techniques. Susan landed a new job and is now making more money than she was at her former position, all thanks to the staff at your library.”

Choose one main message and repeat it throughout the presentation.

It will be tempting to try and talk about everything the library has to offer during your five minutes. However, listing all library services will overwhelm and confuse your audience. Instead, focus on one message you want this audience to remember.

For example, if you are speaking to the school PTA, you will want to focus your message on resources available to students and parents to help with schoolwork. Your main message would be: “Your public library takes the stress out of schoolwork.”

Or, if your library is getting ready for a major construction project, you’ll want to talk about how the renovations or new construction will provide better service to the community. Your main message would be: “These new library spaces will be vibrant, accessible places where everyone in our community can thrive.”

Whatever your main message is, try to work that into your presentation at least three times. Repeating it will help it stick in the minds of your audience.

Use visual aids.

You can put together a short slide deck to help drive home your key message. Be sure to keep your slide text short. Add infographics, photos, or short video clips that reinforce your message.

If the room setup does not include a screen for a slideshow, bring handouts with you! Add your key message points to the top of the handout, and then some visuals like charts, photos, or infographics.

Add an interactive element.

You may be tempted to talk for your entire five-minute slot. But your audience is more likely to remember what you say if you involve them in the presentation in some way.

Launch a poll. Several free sites like Slido and Mentimeter let you embed a poll question in your slide deck with a QR code. Or just ask for a show of hands.

You could also ask a question of your audience, like, “How many of you have visited our library in the past month? What is the first thing you remember seeing when you walked into the building?”

Or try a mini-activity. For example, you could ask everyone to take out a piece of paper and write down as many library services as they can think of in 30 seconds.

End with a call to action.

Give your audience something to do after your presentation. You can invite them to visit the library for a special prize. You can ask for volunteers or donations. One library staff member I’ve spoken with did a presentation on intellectual freedom and handed out talking points, encouraging the audience to use them in conversation with friends at family.

Practice your speech.

A practice session or two can help identify parts of your speech that are less engaging and can ensure you stay within your time limit.

Ask a few coworkers to play the audience and then ask them for feedback on your presentation. Or record yourself giving your speech so that you can evaluate the timing, pace, and content.

Sample Outline for a Five-Minute Presentation

To help get you started, I’ve created this outline template for a community presentation. By following this structure, you can deliver an engaging and persuasive message about the benefits of the library within a short time frame.

Introduction (30 seconds)

  • Start with a hook: Share a surprising fact about your library or a testimonial or patron story.

Main Message (3 minutes)

  • State the main message you want this audience to remember.
  • Talk about the service you are highlighting.
  • Share how this service impacts your community, and how the community would be impacted if the service were NOT available.

Engagement (1 minute)

  • Ask rhetorical questions.
  • Insert an interactive element.

Conclusion (30 seconds)

  • Call to action: Leave your audience with a task that reinforces your key message.

P.S. You might also find this helpful

The Clever yet Simple Trick One Library Marketer Uses To Remind Her Community of All Her Library Offers Every Day of the Year!

Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms: