Thank you for agreeing to be part of our RED Talks (Reflection, Engagement, and Discovery). To help you as you put together your talk, we’d like to share a few of our expectations for this program. Our RED Talks are a part of our career awareness program and are designed to help our students explore areas they may find new or intriguing. Additionally, these talks should encourage our students to look at things they may be familiar with through a different perspective. The program is designed to provoke them to reflect on purpose and future opportunities, to spark curiosity, and to begin to think about, question, and discover ideas that can help them both develop as human beings and begin to consider their future.
As you put together your talk, please keep in mind that you have approximately 15 minutes for your talk or presentation followed by 10 minutes of questions and/or discussion. We want you to keep your talk real, to tell your story in a way that seems natural to you. Please take time to connect with your audience, and remember the RED Talk is about helping our students question and reflect rather than you simply delivering a speech.
Some focus areas we’d appreciate you to address in some fashion are: how you’ve tied what you do to your personal interests, how your role within your career may have changed over time, and if you have, the non-traditional avenues you may have taken or explored to bring you to where you are now. You may also want to weave into your talk how your education (formal and informal) may have played a part in reaching your career goals - or spurred you to explore things you may not have initially considered. What are some strategies or advice you may offer our students in response to their entry into and advancement within the changing global workplace? Again, though, don’t just give them facts; share epiphanies, be willing to be spontaneous, tell your story. We would like to tape your RED Talk; if you are uncomfortable with being videotaped for archiving on our website, please let us know in advance.
Although there is no ‘template’ or ‘formula’ for an engaging RED Talk, TED Talks give us some insight into how to create an engaging RED Talk.
1) Be Clear – is there a big idea that will resonate and stick with our students; be provocative of thought.
2) Be Compelling – experienced speakers tell us that you have approximately 60 seconds to capture your audience’s attention. They will recognize your sincerity and passion from the get go. Don’t waste time with the cold and distant “I’m glad to be here today…” but jump right into your story. Try not to be predictable, don’t be afraid to question and challenge.
3) Be Current – Recency = Relevancy. Even if your story is routed in the past – connect it to the present, to our students – and quickly.
4) Be Congruent – run your talk by your intuition, your gut. If it doesn’t feel or sound right to you, it’s not going to work for our students (your audience) either. It has to be your voice.
5) Be Consistent – a little that sparks reflection and insight and remains aligned to your purpose and big idea is better than a lot that overwhelms (and consequently drives your audience to check email and text).
6) Be Captivating – don’t be afraid to work the room, make your Talk conversational, connect, and draw your audience, our students, in.
Please come to the High School office at least 15-20 minutes prior to your scheduled talk so we can help you set up if needed, or just so you have time to get comfortable with our environment. We are excited to hear your story and to be a part of your journey. If you have any questions or need access to technology, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you in advance to your dedication to our students’ education.
The RED Talk Team