MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2016



MIT Can Talk: Workshop Series

Dr. Tony L. Eng

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Many great thinkers of the past excelled in both Engineering/Science and Exposition/Rhetoric/Oration. The creative men and women who will be the leaders of tomorrow can do so as well. "MIT Can Talk" promotes campus-wide awareness of good oral communication skills. It consists of: (1) a series of independent workshop sessions on public speaking/oral communication, followed by (2) a speaking competition. The workshops are open to the MIT community, but the contest is open only to MIT students. The various workshops address different aspects of speaking and oral communication. They are meant to be practical and hands-on. Sometimes, audience volunteers will be asked to participate in a demonstration; preference will be given to those who have entered the speaking competition. Check out the website for the most updated information on the workshops and competition!

Sponsor(s): Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Contact: Dr. Tony L. Eng, mitcantalk@mit.edu


Organizing Your Thoughts

Jan/22 Fri 12:00PM-01:30PM 26-168

A brilliant mind ferments many intelligent ideas. Being able to express ideas clearly to others is a key element in successful communication. This interactive workshop will help you to transform your random thoughts into succinct presentations with a solid structure. Bring your "spaghetti thoughts"; we will straighten them out here.

Kitty Huang


Storytelling

Jan/23 Sat 01:00PM-03:00PM 26-328

Nothing grabs an audience's attention than a well-told story. You will workshop and develop a story. Want to enter the MIT Can Talk competition but don't know what to talk about? Come to this workshop!

Dr. Tony L. Eng


Speaker ready? Check! Message prepared?

Jan/23 Sat 03:00PM-05:00PM 26-328

Speaker ready? Check! Message prepared? Check! Audience engaged? Wait¿what?  Engaging your audience is an often unexplored key to delivering a great presentation.  Learn ideas for connecting with your listeners. When someone actively participates in your presentation, they become emotionally & psychologically involved in the message you are sharing, allowing you to serve them more effectively.  

Kyle Keldsen


Connecting with Your Audience

Jan/24 Sun 01:00PM-02:30PM 32-141

The best speakers connect with their audience. Try out some ideas for speaking from stillness, being comfortable in your own skin and talking to (and not at) your audience. 

FULL.

Dr. Tony L. Eng


Voice Modulation

Jan/24 Sun 03:00PM-04:30PM 26-328

Help the audience better parse (and consequently understand) what it is you are saying by learning to use things like silence, emphasis, speed and intonation to punctuate your speech.

Dr. Tony L. Eng


Wielding Humor : Comedic Delivery

Jan/25 Mon 02:00PM-04:00PM 26-168

Sponsored by the De Florez Fund for Humor 
Learn techniques for delivering comedic lines such as explosions, reversals and staircases. Come and "find your funny." Squares encouraged to attend!

George Gallagher


Wielding Humor: Comedic Writing

Jan/25 Mon 04:00PM-06:00PM 26-168

Sponsored by the De Florez Fund for Humor 
Learn techniques used by Hollywood comedy writers to mine your own personal reservoir of comedy. You'll discover how to create a comedic throughline to build your content on, or merely ways to inject a dose of humor into your writing. You will learn various exercises including 'The Cluster', 'The 7 Deadly Sins' and other ways to access your funny bone.

David O'Donnell


Effective Delivery

Jan/26 Tue 02:00PM-04:00PM 26-328

This workshop is designed to provide you with tips and strategies for delivering an effective speaking engagement. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be. We will also discuss room set-up, body language and verbal delivery.

 

 

Bob Dolan


Your Presence in Space

Jan/27 Wed 01:00PM-03:00PM Walker 201

An effective confident speaker is more than just physically "there" -- they are present, they are in the moment, they take up space. Learn how to find and fill both the space within you and the space immediately around you, so that you can be yourself in front of an audience.
Wear loose clothing conducive for physical movement. Limited to 25 participants.

Anna Kohler