How can you make your work matter more to more people? An introduction to the ideas and stories in best-selling author Nina Simon's new book, The Art of Relevance (2016). These slides (or a version) shared in 50+ venues during The Art of Relevance book tour.

1. THE ART OF
RELEVANCE
@ninaksimon #artofrelevance

2. santacruzmah.org

4. $

5. $what happens
in that building?

6. ACTIVATE THE MAH AS A
WELCOMING GATHERING PLACE

7. FIND, SPARK, SHARE, AND
PRESERVE STORIES & IDEAS

8. ENJOY SHARED
EXPERIENCES

9. BUILD BRIDGES
ACROSS DIFFERENCES

10. FEEL EMPOWERED TO SHARE
CREATIVE AND CIVIC VOICES

13. 7 17to full-time staff
17,000 60,000to participants
$740,000 $1,640,000to budget
$16,000 $500,000to cash reserves
2011-2015: FIVE YEARS OF GROWTH

17. WHAT IS RELEVANCE?
INSIDERS & OUTSIDERS
GO OUTSIDE
ROOMS AND DOORS

18. There is no such thing as universal relevance.

19. RELEVANT INFORMATION:
Deirdre Wilson & Dan Sperber

20. RELEVANT INFORMATION:
‣GENERATES A POSITIVE
COGNITIVE EFFECT
Deirdre Wilson & Dan Sperber

21. RELEVANT INFORMATION:
‣GENERATES A POSITIVE
COGNITIVE EFFECT
Deirdre Wilson & Dan Sperber

22. RELEVANT INFORMATION:
‣GENERATES A POSITIVE
COGNITIVE EFFECT
‣REQUIRES LOW EFFORT
Deirdre Wilson & Dan Sperber

26. RELEVANCE IS A KEY THAT
UNLOCKS MEANING.

27. WHAT IS RELEVANCE?
INSIDERS & OUTSIDERS
GO OUTSIDE
ROOMS AND DOORS

39. I'm closer to the stodgy traditional museum
supporter than to the audiences you are
currently trying to reach, but I strongly
support your outreach and attempts to
involve new communities. It is precisely
because of that outreach that I finally
became a museum member last year.
There was no reason to do so before, since
the museum was doing nothing. I still have
little occasion to go to the museum, but I'm
willing to support it as an important
community resource.

40. “Why is everything at the museum about
Mexicans? I’m proud of my white culture and I
don’t understand why you aren’t honoring my
heritage anymore.”
- angry caller

41. “I don’t come to a museum to be empowered.”
- trustee

43. WHAT IS RELEVANCE?
INSIDERS & OUTSIDERS
GO OUTSIDE
ROOMS AND DOORS

44. Relevance is an exercise in empathy.

54. WHAT IS RELEVANCE?
INSIDERS & OUTSIDERS
GO OUTSIDE
ROOMS AND DOORS

59. let’s build bigger
rooms together.
THANK YOU / @NINAKSIMON