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 2025 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
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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 29, 2025 5:00 PM |
October 27, 2025 5:00 PM |
Strategic content development |
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Data Visualization |
November 6, 2025 5:00 PM |
November 3, 2025 5:00 PM |
Develop and deliver effective visuals |
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Presentation & "Stage" Presence |
November 19, 2025 5:00 PM |
November 17, 2025 5:00 PM |
Voice, body language, and "stage presence" for online and in-person presentations |
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Small-Group Coaching Sessions |
November 25, 2025: 9:30- 11:30am November 25, 2025: 12:00- 3:00pm November 26, 2025: 9:30 - 11:30am November 26, 2025: 12:00- 3:00pm |
Practice and individual feedback to students on their SEDTalks thesis presentation |
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SEDTalks |
December 4, 2025 |
Students present their thesis research at SEDTalks A selection committee chooses three students as 2025 ChangeMakers. |
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Benefits
| Presentation Skills Training participants will receive: | ChangeMakers will receive: |
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Eligibility
Open to any graduate student in engineering, architecture or urban planning working on sustainability-related research in one of the following four areas:
