TEDx Syracuse University will be holding workshops Thursday in Watson Theater for those presenting at the April 17 event.

The workshops are in conjunction with Dale Carnegie, an executive coaching and presentation training company based out of Syracuse. The theme of the lecture series, which is curated based on the array of speakers, is “Evolve.” Nine presenters have been selected to speak in accordance to this theme, including talks on clean energy solutions, storytelling and healing with art.

“They (Dale Carnegie) come in with two women who work with the speakers on their stage presence and tighten up their talks,” said Emma Herrera, the event’s lead organizer and a sophomore information management technology major. “We want to make sure the speakers look good on stage, are speaking fluently, making eye contact with everyone and enunciating clearly.”

TEDx is an extension of TED, a nonprofit committed to “ideas worth spreading” within the areas of technology, entertainment and design. TEDx talks are self-organized and take the experience of the much larger TED lecture series and localize it for a smaller, more niche audience, according to the TEDx website.

The program was brought to campus last year by recent SU graduate, Nate Rose, who, Herrera said, believed TED talks were something SU was missing, especially with schools like the S.I Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs under its umbrella.

“What we really want to bring to students are some new, fresh ideas that are meaningful, would leave an impact on the audience and maybe spark something new,” Herrera said.

The workshop will also double as a press day for the event — and many were willing to attend. Tim Kowalsky, co-director of public relations and communications/marketing manager for TEDx SU, said piquing the interest of the press was not as difficult as he imagined.

“It was surprisingly easy getting press here. Last year was more of the hard work. But this year, as soon as people heard we were repeating the event, they were more than happy to come back again,” said Kowalsky, a junior information management and technology and marketing dual major.

Kowalsky added that he anticipates the same phenomenon occurring in regards to ticket sales for the event in April.

“I know last year we sold out 300 tickets in a half an hour, and this year it’s going to be much more intimate,” he said. “The tickets are going to go pretty quick.”

Hailey Temple, one of the nine speakers and a senior public relations and information management and technology dual major, said she applied for the presenting position on a whim as way to challenge herself.

“This is something I’ve never done before, so I thought it would be a really good challenge for me, personally and professionally, and just a really good way for me to connect with people in the Syracuse community and beyond,” Temple said.

Temple, a long-time consumer and fan of TED talks, said she’s excited for Thursday’s workshops to bring her ideas and thoughts into focus.

“There is power and beauty in the simplicity of TED talks, and I think my talk is close, but not there yet, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can improve upon and shape,” Temple said.

The overarching mission of a TED talk is to make audiences think differently about topics many may not know very much about. Kowalsky said he thinks that’s the best part of the whole program.

“It’s cool because you don’t often hear the kinds of things these people talk about in your everyday life,” he said. “Some are funny, some are serious, they’re all very thought provoking.”

Published on March 19, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Brigid: brkenned@syr.edu