image of jENNIFER MARTIN DEL CAMPO RODRIGUEZ giving a presentation, image of a computer with text and a phone, and an image from behind of a female student facing an audience

TISED Newsletter 

What is the SEDTalks! Presentation Skills Training?

Need to practice public-speaking for an upcoming academic conference? Want to build important career skills? Hope to participate in the McGill wide Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition and don't know where to start? No matter your skill level, no matter how (un)comfortable you are with public speaking, our Presentation Skills Training is for you!

The SEDTalks! Presentation Skills Training is an educational and skills-building training series for graduate students in McGill's Faculty of Engineering. Led by oral communication professionals, the training includes workshops, small group coaching sessions with feedback and explores strategies to design research talks that are both accessible and impactful. The primary focus of the 2024 fall training is on delivering a 180-second talk on your research at the SEDTalks Event in December.  At the conclusion of SEDTalks, a selection committee will choose 3 students, our 2025 ChangeMakers, to proceed to the winter training and deliver full presentations at an Event in the spring. 

    Fall Schedule

    WORKSHOP TOPIC                                        

    IN-PERSON SESSION DATE:

    OPTION #1                

    ONLINE SESSION DATE:

    OPTION #2              

    DETAILS                                                                                       

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    Introduction: Talking it up without dumbing it down

    October 22 2024

    5:00 PM

    October 23 2024

    5:00 PM

    Strategic content development
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    Data Visualization

    October 30 2024

    5:00 PM

    October 29 2024

    5:00 PM

    Develop and deliver effective visuals
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    Presentation & "Stage" Presence

    November 12 2024

    5:00 PM

    November 13 2024

    5:00 PM

    Voice, body language, and "stage presence" for online and in-person presentations

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    Small-Group Coaching Sessions

     

    November 26 2024: 9:00- 11:30am

    November 26 2024: 1:30- 3:30pm

    November 28 2024: 9:00 - 11:30am

    November 28 2024: 1:30- 3:30pm  

    Practice and individual feedback to students on their SEDTalks thesis presentation 

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    SEDTalks

     

    December 5 2024

    Students present their thesis research at SEDTalks

    A selection committee chooses three students, our 2025 ChangeMakers,

    Benefits

    Presentation Skills Training participants will receive: ChangeMakers will receive:
    • Free professional presentation skills training, including small group practice sessions and feedback;
    • Recognition on McGill’s Co-Curricular Record (CCR), a document that recognizes a student's involvement in learning opportunities outside the classroom;
    • An information session with an industrial partner, WSP;
    • Possibility of being selected as a 2025 ChangeMaker.
    • Individual and small group coaching with feedback during the development of their SEDTalk!
    • A luncheon with WSP representatives
    • Professional photoshoot, promotion of research on TISED's channels and a professional YouTube video of their SEDTalk!
    • Participation in the 2025 SEDTalks! Event
    • $1,000 Award

     

    Eligibility

    Open to any graduate student in engineering, architecture or urban planning working on sustainability-related research in one of the following four areas:

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