One of SCS’s new courses being offered this spring is The Writer as Entrepreneur. We asked course instructor Neil Seeman to share a bit about the inspiration behind the course, and some of the benefits he feels it will bring to our learners.

SCS: “You’ve been an entrepreneur in different fields and an author. What inspired you to meld these different identities to teach a new course in the Creative Writing Program?”

Neil Seeman: “I saw that writers work harder and are more entrepreneurial than most start-up entrepreneurs I know. But writers need supports on how to go from conceiving their idea to selling it to agents, publishers, and to readers across the world. Writers face far tougher market tests than business entrepreneurs. It’s harder to secure a decent publishing deal than to secure venture capital. You have more high highs and low lows in any day as a writer. Rejection meets you at every turn. Steve Jobs said an entrepreneur seeks to dent the universe. That sounds like every writer I’ve known. It’s also Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, Solzhenitsyn, Toni Morrison, and George Orwell.”

SCS: “What differentiates this course from others like it across the world?”

Neil Seeman: “First, I’m inviting students to reconsider authors like Mary Shelley and Dickens as struggling “ideas entrepreneurs”. Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities were vehicles for Dickens to advocate for social policy reform. Shelley rebuked prevailing social and scientific assumptions through the power of storytelling. Taking learners through the prickly path that the great authors before us took will humanize and make possible what may, at first, seem impossible. Second, I distill the work of great business strategists and entrepreneurs – like the late Clayton Christensen – into how to mould what I call a “baby-steps strategy” to meet an author’s personal goals. These goals will be different for each author. That may be landing an amazing agent or publisher, or amplifying one’s voice for a new, bigger stage across the world. A strategy will dictate how to allocate your scarce time and resources. Third, our intimate classroom will insist that we listen to one another, offering shareable insights into self-care amid periods of solitude and self-critique.”
 
SCS: “What other things can people learn from this course that they cannot learn from artificial intelligence or other existing courses?”

Neil Seeman: “Writing a book of meaning is a high-touch experience. A successful author needs to be vulnerable, to lie on an operating table under the gaze of agents, publicists, editors, publishers, distributors, reviewers, fans, and critics. You’ll learn to love the critics. Writing is the opposite of an anodyne interaction with an AI. Learners will have their individual strategic plans for their writing projects poked at by peers in class. Learners will emerge emboldened. I will hold learners accountable, just like a board of directors would hold any entrepreneur to account. That means ensuring that we design short- and long-term goals that are measurable and meaningful.”

Neil Seeman is teaching a new course at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies called “The Writer as Entrepreneur” — drawing on his work as a serial entrepreneur, writer, publisher, and mental health advocate. Learners will apply entrepreneurship, business strategy, and self-care principles to conceive, plan, and publish their book. The course runs May 7, 2024 - July 9, 202, in-class, Tuesdays, St. George Campus, 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM.
 

After fifteen years as an elected official, Michelle Mungall was ready to try something new. She discovered the Creative Writing program at SCS, and after honing her skills with us, will now be featured as a regular opinion contributor for the Vancouver Sun.

Mungall developed a passion for politics early in life.

“I fell in love with politics as a six year-old girl in pigtails listening to the grown-ups in my family talk about Brian Mulroney and the 1984 election. Something about the whole conversation and idea of voting hooked me instantly,” she explains.

“About the same time, I discovered I was an ardent feminist when a neighbourhood boy pushed me off the snowbank to declare he was the king of the castle and I was to clean up after the dirty rascals.”

That passion followed her into adulthood, where Mungall was determined to blaze many trails for women in politics, which included being the first Member of the Legislative Assembly to bring her baby into British Columbia’s Legislative House.

While she had always enjoyed writing, Mungall says she never thought of herself as a writer.

“It was just something I did, and wanted to do well, as part of my other responsibilities,” she says.  

“When I retired from public life, though, I wanted to do something more creative, and found myself buying a new laptop and signing up for the creative writing certificate program.”

Mungall says she will certainly be able to apply what she learned through the program in her pieces for The Sun, as well as a memoir she has in the works.

“My writing has leveled-up more than I could have imagined. I’m a way better storyteller now,” she says.

“I really started to think about the voice and tone I use when telling a story. As a politician, there’s always an element of distance when communicating with your audience, even when being as open as you possibly can. That was deeply ingrained in me, and my instructors and classmates really forced me to look at this over and over again, challenging me to let readers into the story more deeply. I can still hear them and am rewriting sentences all the time with this in mind.”

As a working parent to young children, Mungall says one of the challenges of writing is simply finding the time to do it, and that getting her memoirs down on paper is its own particular hurdle.

“Accessing memories for a memoir is tricky, especially when you’re a tired mom of toddlers. I mean, it’s a win to remember to turn on the dishwasher,” she says.

“My instructors had excellent ways to dig into my own mental files for great stories.”

Mungall has kept in touch with those SCS instructors who have helped her along in her learning and writing journey. “It’s something special when you find people who are genuinely interested in supporting your success,” she says.

Getting feedback from her fellow students in class was also incredibly valuable, says Mungall.

“It was like a testing ground for ideas on how to tell a story and make a piece even better.”

Her advice to anyone considering taking an SCS creative writing course or certificates is simple:

“Dive in and soak up as much as you can.”

Mungall’s opinion contributions  on everything from workplace issues for politicians or minimum wage workers, to energy transition, to human rights, housing, childcare, healthcare and parking will be featured in the Vancouver Sun beginning this spring. She hopes to tackle hot topics in a thought-provoking way that gets conversations going.

1. Move Your Career Forward

   Prepare for and decide on the next bold step in your career with the help of our one-on-one coaching, workshops, and free resources through the Blueprint Career Services portal.

2. Learn a Language 

   Our language courses and certificates can help you learn or improve your skills in a wide variety of languages, while our popular English Language program can help you reach your academic, professional, or personal English Language goals.

3. Improve Your Cognitive Health 

   Learning new information and skills can help your brain to keep growing and maintain neuroplasticity, which can help with memory, learning, depression, and can even aid in recovery from strokes or traumatic brain injuries.

4. Build a More Fulfilling Social Life 

   Growing your social circle as an adult can be challenging! We love seeing our learners connect with people who share a common interest with them and build new lifelong friendships.

5. Improve Your Project Management Abilities 

   Project management continues to be an in-demand skill set across sectors. Make 2024 the year you develop this skill set for yourself, or prepare to formalize the skills you already have with a Project Management Institute certification.

6. Start Your Memoirs

   You’ve got stories to tell. Find your writing community and let our expert creative writing instructors guide you in telling those stories in a clear and compelling way. Not quite ready for memoirs? Check out our wide variety of other writing genres to explore.

7. Update Your Marketing Skills 

   With the explosion of AI technology over the past few years, there has never been a better time to ensure your marketing skills and toolkit are current and competitive. Our expert marketing and communications instructors are passionate about doing just that and about passing on their up-to-date knowledge to help you future-proof your marketing career.

8. Become An Effective Leader 

   Whether you already lead a team or you aspire to take on a leadership role within your organization this year, our leadership program can help you develop the skills and mindset of a great leader.

9. Earn A Professional Certification or Designation

   You know what your skills and abilities are. Now let potential employers know by earning an in-demand designation to add to your resumé. Whether you are working towards earning a professional designation or certification, or need to maintain your credential with continuing education requirements, we have partner-recognized courses and certificates to help you succeed on your journey forward

10. Become More Mindful 

    If your goal this year is to seek more discipline, tolerance, calm, and mental clarity, the courses and certificates in our mindfulness program can help make 2024 your most mindful year yet! 
     

SCS learner Anuja Varghese completed her creative writing certificate in September 2023. Hot on the heels of that achievement, this brilliant member of our creative writing community has won this year’s Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction for her short story collection, Chrysalis. 

A top honour in Canadian literature, the Governor General’s Literary Awards were created in 1936 to celebrate literature and inspire people to read books by creators from Canada. The award recognizes the best books in English and French in seven categories: Fiction; Non-fiction; Poetry; Drama; Young People’s Literature – Text; Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books; and, Translation.

We sat down with Varghese earlier this year to hear about her experience going from SCS learner to published writer and she described Chrysalis as a collection of genre-blending short stories that centre women and girls of colour, and explore community, sexuality, cultural expectations, and moments of transformation through a feminist lens.

“When I think about what inspired me to write these stories – two things come to mind. The first is that I wanted to write brown girl characters who break free of the roles they are often ascribed in media (typically immigrants, nerds, victims, and sidekicks), and who reflect the intersections of identity that I experience as a second generation queer woman of colour,” she explains. “The second is that I was writing both literary fiction and genre fiction and I wanted to create a collection that made space for both.”

When pressed to choose a favourite story from her collection, she instead refered us to the dedication page in Chrysalis, which reads, “This book is for all the girls and women who don’t see themselves in most stories. You are worthy of reflection, despite what you have been told. Reflection in this context can mean two things: a throwing back or mirroring of; and worthy of serious consideration.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Cyber threats can be scary, and for good reason. Malware can be lurking in a suspicious email users get convinced to click. All it takes is one crack in the door of the network to let all the wrong ones in; spear phishing witches, ravenous ransom wolves, you name it!

But never fear! While torches, pitchforks and silver bullets never put down a data breach, a resilient security culture in your organization is your best bet for keeping the beasts at bay.

In a highly digitized world, data is an omnipresent asset that needs to be protected. The security of data has become an ubiquitous concern as it pertains to Privacy, Intellectual Property, Nation and Citizen safety and the overall competitive advantage of firms and organizations.

The Cyber Security threat landscape is continuously evolving and becoming more sophisticated, hence more dangerous. This means that people, both in their private lives and at every level in organizations, including members of the Boards of Directors, need to be aware of the risks and be equipped with the pertinent knowledge and skills to manage them.

The SCS Cyber Security Foundations course addresses these needs and delves into the key tenets of Cyber Security resilience: confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.

This October (Cyber Security Awareness Month), here are five tips to get you started with improving your personal cybersecurity: 

1. Go to "Settings" on your mobile devices and enable automatic software updates under 'General'
2. Maintain strong passwords that should be unique and update them on a regular basis 
3. Don't share passwords with anybody (people, suppliers, banks, retailers, credit card companies or any other company or organization), as no legitimate entity will ask for them 
4. Be suspicious of emails from unknown sources (people, suppliers, various companies or organizations) and for those, don't click on links or open attachments 
5. Don't keep too many open browsers (windows) on your mobile devices (desktops, laptops, tablets, phones) and close them as soon as you can.

To learn more about SCS Cyber Security courses, please visit our Cyber Security Management Certificate page. 
 

Raquel Richards’ decision to join the U of T School of Continuing Studies community was sparked by a lifelong dream to attend courses at a university and inspired by her late great grandmother’s values of education, knowledge, and success. Little did she know that registering for the SCS Foundations of Digital Communications Strategy & Social Media course, would set her on an exciting new career path in the field of AI.

The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic also pushed Richards to re-examine her life and work goals. “The pandemic's impact on our ability to embrace life's experiences became apparent, compelling me to confront the need to pursue my passions and carve out a life that resonated with my authentic self and aspirations,” she explains. 

“At the same time, I took a deep dive into the adverse effects of my existing job and made the pivotal choice to depart from my 10-year position at the LCBO.”

Richards knew she was interested in digital content creation, and so she launched her business “Wrong Door Creative,” dedicated to just that. At the same time, began working towards her certificate in Multimedia Storytelling and Content Marketing at SCS. 

A moment of concern arose for Richards early in the Foundations of Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media course when she realized it included a PR component. “Around a quarter of the way through, I realized the curriculum has a large public relations component— a domain I was seeking to move away from,” she says.  

However, she soon discovered that the AI element of this course would be a crucial step on her career journey.

Now, in addition to her work as a content creator and multimedia storyteller, Richards works as an AI prompt writer, currently on assignment for Meta, through IT services and talent company, TEKsystems. She works on the composition, evaluation, and analysis of prompts that fuel an AI chatbot's interactions and responses.

Richards says she enjoys putting her affinity for words, creativity, and the realm of artificial intelligence to work in this new position. 

“What brings me joy is the rapid pace and dynamic nature of the field,” she adds. 
 

“The constant evolution of technology, the ever-changing interface, and the emergence of new trends—It’s exhilarating and chaotic, and I love it!”

The knowledge gained from the Foundations of Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media course was instrumental to Richards finding herself working in the world of AI.

“This initial exposure served as a catalyst for further exploration on my part. I delved into self-guided learning on additional programs and platforms,” she explains. 

“This course acted as a springboard, providing me with essential insights and initiating my journey into AI.”

Richards also particularly credits instructor Alison Garwood-Jones with supporting her along her learning and career path. “Her teaching approach, rooted in genuine passion for the subject matter and extensive experience in the digital communications field, made a substantial impact on me,” Richards says. 

“One of the standout aspects of Alison's instruction was her ability to foster a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. I felt at ease participating in class discussions, offering insights, comments, and suggestions. This comfort was invaluable in facilitating an open exchange of ideas and knowledge. Moreover, her responsiveness to student questions further enhanced my learning experience, ensuring that concepts were understood.”

In addition to finding herself on an exciting new career path, Richards says the best thing about taking the Foundations of Digital Communications Strategy and Social Media course was the constant anticipation of wondering what she would learn next. She believes the course could be helpful for anyone seeking to enhance their skill set in business and marketing management within the realm of social media, as well as for PR professionals wishing to keep their skills up-to-date or for anyone looking to develop a foundational understanding of the world of generative AI. 

She also offers some advice for anyone looking to take this course or any of the courses in the Multimedia Storytelling and Content Marketing certificate: “Allocate dedicated time for the course throughout the semester. The course demands consistent effort and engagement. Set aside the time slots for the webinars, reading course materials, and working on assignments. Attend class (live webinars if taken online), they offer real-time interaction. If you miss one watch the recording ASAP so you don’t fall behind. Actively participate in discussions, both in class and online, and don't hesitate to ask questions. It’s how you learn!”
 

While many people are aware of the concept of entrepreneurship (when someone comes up with their own idea or product and uses it to start a business or businesses, finding success by taking risks) you may not be as familiar with the idea of intrapreneurship. 

According to SCS Business Innovation instructor Ferhan Bulca, intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs share a similar mindset. 

“The differences between intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs are very subtle. Intrapreneurs do it for an organization whereas entrepreneurs build their own companies,” he explains. 

“When I look at the fundamental drives behind these two types of people, intrapreneurs do it because they’re passionate about the solution and solving every problem for their customer base and they’re happy to do this in an organization, for somebody else.”

So why is intrapreneurship so important to organizational success? Here are three reasons to encourage intrapreneurship in your organization: 

1. To boost employee morale

Encouraging your team members to flex their creative problem-solving muscles and rewarding them when they come up with and follow through on ideas to further your organization’s goals is a clear win-win. Cultivating an environment where intrapreneurship is valued and rewarded, and where employees can see their work makes a measurable difference, will help keep them motivated, and help your organization to retain top talent. 

2. To Increase Agility

With the rapid evolution of technology and social change of the past few years, it has never been more important for organizations to respond to change quickly and nimbly. A team that is accustomed to taking initiative and ownership of creative solutions is crucial to your organization’s ability to quickly pivot and evolve to meet the changing needs of your customers or clients. 

3. To Foster Innovation 

“Intrapreneurs are well positioned to become change agents within their organization because innovation by definition is a novel way of doing something in a different and better way,” says Bulca.

“Intrapreneurs have to deliver this [solution] to the organization and change the way things are done currently into a new way, which requires them to be change agents.”

Want to learn more about intrapreneurship? Check out our Business Innovation courses, now open for registration.

The University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies has established its inaugural equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) advisory council to increase access for diverse learners and communities, and further the school’s anti-racism/discrimination, anti-oppression, and community engagement efforts.

“We know what an impact that lifelong learning can have, not just on the individual learner, but on whole communities. The ripple effect is truly amazing,” says SCS Dean, Dr. Catherine Chandler-Crichlow. 

“But we are also very aware that for certain groups, there are barriers in place that make accessing the knowledge and skills they need, far more challenging than it should be. That’s why I’m so excited to be working with this dedicated and knowledgeable team to find ways to address those barriers to access.”

The council is comprised of individuals from diverse sectors with an understanding of the needs, experiences, challenges, and opportunities of a variety of communities, as well as experience in research, community advocacy, and human rights/EDI-related expertise.

The group includes Dr. Chandler-Crichlow, Jean Chow (SCS Learner & Instructor), Allison Pond (ACCES Employment), Nosa Ero-Brown (Ontario Public Service), Ferhan Bulca (SCS Instructor), Dr. Matthew Jelavic (CIM / SCS Association Partner), Jennifer Boyce (Loblaws), Allison Burgess (U of T, People Strategy, Equity and Culture Division); Farah Alexis (Hydro One); Norbert Costa (Toronto District School Board). and SCS Director of EDI Amanda Weaver.

Weaver says SCS is keen to be a point of convergence for the council to focus on the collaboration and co-creation of solutions which heighten the learner experience and provide concrete impacts for the Division, the organizations council members represent, and the communities they serve.

“We have a strong internal EDI committee within the school who are committed to championing and pushing EDI initiatives forward. Dr. Chandler-Crichlow and I believe that establishing an external Advisory Council is also critical to the success of this work to create a culture of inclusion and belonging for everyone in our SCS eco-system,” she explains.

““At the conclusion of the first-ever council meeting, we quickly identified themes we are looking forward to activating:  Access and Data; Building Relationships; Research; and overall, the council’s impact.”

For more information about the school’s EDI commitments, please visit our EDI page.

June 9th is World Accreditation Day. Established in 2010, the day aims to highlight the value of credential assessment and accreditation for individuals and for the global community.

Credential assessment in Canada is the process of evaluating foreign educational and professional credentials to determine their equivalency to Canadian standards.

For communities, accreditation means they can benefit from the skills newcomers to Canada developed in their former countries. For newcomers, accreditation can help them get one step closer to their career and learning goals in Canada.

This year’s theme, Accreditation: Supporting the Future of Global Trade, also focuses on how accreditation supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Wondering how accreditation could help you reach your goals? Here are five reasons to have your educational credentials assessed in Canada:

1.    Job opportunities: Many employers in Canada require a credential assessment to ensure that their employees have the necessary qualifications and skills for the job.

2.    Educational opportunities: Credential assessment can help you gain admission to Canadian universities and colleges.

3.    Immigration: Credential assessment is often required for immigration to Canada, particularly for Express Entry programs.

4.    Social integration: Having your credentials assessed can help you integrate into Canadian society and identify new opportunities for personal and professional growth.

5.    Professional Licensing: Credential assessment can help you to gain a professional license to work in a regulated profession, such as nursing is some provinces, in Canada.

If you’re looking for financial assistance to have your credentials assessed, Windmill Microlending can help. Windmill Microlending is Canada’s only national charity offering affordable loans to skilled immigrants and refugees. Their microloans help clients pay for the costs of accreditation, training and career development.

And, when you’re ready to have your credentials assessed, the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Comparative Education Service is here to help you reach your educational and career goals in Canada.

The Comparative Education Service (CES) was established in 1967 and is Canada’s only university-based academic credential assessment agency. We are trusted by employers and professional agencies throughout Canada, and our assessment reports are recognized throughout Canada and beyond. CES also supports clients’ continuous learning with a special offer — a one-time $200 tuition discount — that can be applied towards one of hundreds of courses and certificate programs available at the School of Continuing Studies.  
 

Mindfulness, and how it can help you succeed in the workplace, was the most recent topic covered by the latest installment of the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies free Knowledge Hub webinars.

Mindfulness expert and SCS instructor Michael Apollo joined us to discuss current workplace trends, demonstrate a mindfulness pause practice, and demystify mindfulness for those new to the concept.  

To begin, Apollo dug into some of the reasons why an interest in mindfulness has been growing, particularly in the past few years, using the acronym VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity). “These are some of the most stressful things that a human being can endure in the moment,” Apollo explains. “This acronym was created around 15 years ago to articulate the type of experience that an individual goes through in the midst of the fog of war. It has become more and more prominent over the years.”

Apollo asked webinar participants to consider whether most people have had more or less of a VUCA reality over the past five years. “Our landscapes are becoming more turbulent than organizations are becoming resilient to this type of change,” he says. 

“This has a definite effect on us. We know there is change happening around the world. You look at political strife, and there are economic realities coming up, it seems with greater rapidity. These changes are affecting us at work, the decisions we make, they’re affecting our stress levels, and affecting the amount of work that we have to do.”

To his point, statistics have shown that about ¾ of people across North America have reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition in the last year. “About 80-90% of staff and workers have found that the past few years have been the most challenging and stressful in their lives,” Apollo says. “For some people, especially those who are knowledge workers, and perhaps in greater positions of privilege, they maybe had a better experience during this time, but for the vast majority of us, it has been a very challenging time. “ 

At the same time, Apollo adds, there has also been a large migration to people working online or in hybrid work environments. For many of those working online, this has led to an increase in the number of hours on average that they are working. 

“I’ve worked with thousands of people since the beginning of the pandemic in different organizations delivering mindfulness programming and something I’ve always found fascinating is, we’ll be working through this training over a period of time and I continually hear about how people feel like they’re not doing enough and feeling bad about the fact that they’re not doing enough when in reality they’re actually doing more,” he says. “And so, this work-life balance as well has shifted and changed and it’s more like work-life blending.”

So how can we manage a work life that is blended into our home life? 

Apollo says that to deal well, be well, and work well in the current reality of demanding workplaces where the line between work life and home life might be increasingly blurred, we need to develop our skills in empathy, conflict management, influence, and self awareness. 

“Research shows that when we’re faced with stress, these are the first skills that start to degrade,” he explains. “So, what do we do? How can we support ourselves during this time?”

Apollo goes on to reference a study that found that the best predictors of leaders being able to successfully navigate times of crisis or change was not a predefined response plan but behaviours and mindsets that would prevent them from overreacting to yesterday’s developments and help them look ahead. 

“We need to be adaptable. We need to be able to respond in the moment. And there are some key aspects to this: being able to be resilient, flexible, and to have bounded optimism. So, look to the future with a sense of hope, skillfully, so not being blinded by positivity. And also having the ability to not get caught up into the ways we’ve been doing things in the past. So how do you develop this ability?

Apollo says this is where mindfulness comes into play. “Mindfulness is one of the most studied behaviour-change training methods. That has evidence-based outcomes, which means the research is showing it’s as effective as coaching, cognitive behavioural therapy, the gold standards that are out there, in cultivating a whole host of benefits within people. 

Apollo lists improved resilience, communication, decision making, productivity, negotiation, engagement and decreased sick days and healthcare costs among the evidence-based outcomes of mindfulness. 

He goes on to walk participants through an exercise he calls a “mindful pause”, a brief mindfulness exercise, and explains how taking a pause like this during your workday can help to reset, restore and sustain your focus, to cope with stress, and to be more present during tasks and conversations. 

“Another great thing is you can always do it as a pause before stepping into work mode and as a pause before shifting out of your work mode.” 

Watch the full recording to try out the mindful pause exercise yourself and to learn more about mindfulness and how you can apply it in your workplace by visiting the free SCS Knowledge Hub. 

The University of Toronto Summer Writing School is hosted by the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) every year at the Mississauga and St. George campuses. 

The popular five-day intensive writing workshops give emerging writers the opportunity to connect with a writing community and learn from some of Canada’s most successful writers. Workshops include daily roundtable and panel discussions on an array of genres, as well as instructor and student readings.

This year the U of T Summer Writing School also features a special panel discussion and Q &A designed to give participants helpful insight and advice about getting their work published:

The Long and Winding Road to Publication panel aims to demystify the road to publication by sharing the experiences of recent SCS Creative Writing learners Tsering Yangzom Lama, Saeed Teebi, and Anuja Varghese, and editor Shirarose Wilensky. Learn how to find a publisher, what it’s like to work with an editor and more. The panel will be followed by a Q and A session.

• Tsering Yangzom Lama’s novel We Measure the Earth With Our Bodies was published by M&S and shortlisted for the 2022 Giller Prize. It was also longlisted for the inaugural Carol Shields Prize.

• Saeed Teebi’s story collection My First Palestinian was published by House of Anansi Press and shortlisted for the 2022 Atwood Gibson Writer’s Trust Fiction Prize.

• Anuja Varghese’s story collection Chrysalis was launched this spring by House of Anansi Press.

• Shirarose Wilensky is an editor at House of Anansi Press. 

To learn more about the program or to register for the workshops, please visit the U of T Summer Writing School page. 

The latest free Knowledge Hub webinar featured public speaking expert and SCS instructor Adam Lazarus, who shared valuable insight into how anyone can begin to improve their presentation and communication skills. 

Lazarus kicked off the webinar by asking participants to picture someone who they think of as an excellent communicator and then share or make a note for themselves about what makes that person great at communication.

“It’s very important to articulate for yourself what you think is great so that you have a measure for yourself of what you want to emulate,” he explained. 

“I’m going to take a guess and say somebody picked Obama. And I’m going to also say, I’m sorry, you cannot be the next Obama. You can only be the next you. I’m not interested in who you choose, but why you choose who you choose. So you can take those qualities and figure out how you present them.”

Lazarus then asked participants what stands in the way of excellent communication and questioned how many people feel nervous speaking publicly, whether in one-on-one interviews or speaking in front of a boardroom full of people. 

“It’s considered the number one fear amongst human beings, even above death, according to The Book of Lists,” he said.

“Now I hope it’s not your case that you feel like you’d rather be dead than communicating,” he added.  “And I don’t say that to diminish the experience of feeling really bad and uncomfortable, anxious, sweaty and tired – all the things that happen…but the good news is that public speaking and communication is a skill that can be learned.”

Lazarus went on to share his approach to effective public speaking and communications, which includes, five main aspects: 

1. Pleasure: “You need to enjoy doing what you’re doing, and if you don’t it reads. Something in you needs to stand behind what you say or the audience will turn off,” Lazarus explains. “Often what happens because we’re nervous, is we diminish our own enthusiasm towards what we say. We can’t begin there.”
2. Complicité (or connection): Lazarus says that despite advice some people may have received to look above the audience instead of directly at them to alleviate nerves, it’s actually important to do the opposite. “We need to look at the audience and read what’s happening back.” When you’re paying attention to your audience and their feedback, you can adjust to keep them engaged.
3. Authenticity: You are who you are and you cannot be anyone but who you are. You are dynamic in front of somebody in your life, whether it’s your partner, your dog, or your friends, where you light up and sound like you care. And what we want to do is pull that person up in front of the room, appropriately.”
4. Mistakes or failure. “I promise you, you are going to make mistakes,” Lazarus said. But he explains the important thing is not to get hung up on mistakes or convince yourself the audience has been greatly upset by a fumble you might make during a presentation.
5. "Today I was good, tomorrow I hope to go on. Today I was bad, tomorrow I hope to go on.” Inspired by a saying from a teacher Lazarus studied under, the quote refers to the idea of communication improvement being a lifelong process. Lazarus says we don’t need to limit working on these skills to when we have a formal presentation or communication to prepare. We can take everyday communication as an opportunity to practice and improve our skills. He says: “We’re always working at communicating, getting our message across, being impactful, and dynamic.”

See the full webinar recording, including a follow-up question and answer session, below.

Visit our Workplace Communications page for more information about our courses related to communications and presentations.