Download KSEA Letters 40-3, Apr. 2012 [pdf] - Korean-American ...

KSTLC 2012
SESSIONS AND WORKSHOPS
DALE CARNEGIE INSTITUTE SPECIAL SEMINAR: CREATING CONNECTION
[Conference Co-Chair & Session Chair: YeEun Sarah Rhee, Jungsook Yang]
Undergraduate Student, University of Michigan & Software Engineer, Netapp
After KSEA President Hosin “David” Lee opened up the first door of KSTLC, Mr. Dan Conrod took the
lead and gave us a special privilege to learn the methods of communications. He discussed the importance
of social networking and presented the ideas of the ‘good communication.’ As a program that started
off the entire conference, it set a very welcoming and open environment. The speaker, Dan, had everyone
to stand up and practice communication skills which encouraged the participants to actively engage
themselves in conversations with brief self-introductions. Though “creating connection” was mainly about
networking, it rather promoted a necessity
of self-reflection. According to Dan,
a successful networking requires confidence,
patience, enthusiasm and perseverance. To build a great
relationship with people, we need to be open and approachable
to others first which requires the confidence and courage. Then
the conversation needs to be followed by patience such as being
a good listener and letting the opponent become a focus of the
conversation. The participants discussed about these practical
skills and values for the effective ways of communications, and
tried to apply these at a personal level. This session was well suited
for the purpose of the conference which promotes networking
among Korean-American students on the paths to become the
pioneers of the future.
ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATION SKILLS
[Session Chair: Yoomin Ahn, Wonjae Lee]
R&D Chemist, BISCO, Inc & Ph.D. Student, University of Pennsylvania
This was a unique session for KSTLC with the purpose of helping first generation Korean students improve
their presentation skills. Our goal was to have a before and after presentation of students to show
the improvement through a professional workshop in public speaking. Dr. Dan Moser worked with
our two volunteers, Tae Gyu Kim and Youngbum Jun, in perfecting their speeches and powerpoints.
The preparation for this session began a month before the conference. And throughout February, the
volunteers sent Dr. Moser their original videos and slides, and received feedback from him. On the
night before the presentation, the volunteers worked with Dr. Moser one-on-one for a couple of hours.
On the day of the workshop, Dr. Moser started off the session with a short speech on the important
factors in public speaking which was followed by the actual presentations. After showing the before
videos, two volunteers stood up in front of a hundred students and performed the improved presentations. As a 1.5 generation
student who came to the United States at the early ages, the only concern Tae Gyu had was a nervousness management when facing
a huge crowd. On the other hand, Yongbum, who came to the U.S. in his mid-twenties, had a language barrier to overcome
and was not confident about his English skills. When they walked up to the stage, however, it was evident that from a month-long
interaction with Dr. Moser, they had gained enough courage and were more than ready for the presentation. Especially, the 1st
generation student, Youngbum, showed a great improvement on public speaking and grabbed everyone’s attention with his sense
of humor, despite his difficulties with the language.
Overall, the lecture had entertaining elements along with useful presentation tips. The volunteers also gave great presentations
that were comical as well. It was helpful to see that the presentation skills can be improved over a course of period. Moreover, the
participants were able to learn the successful and effective skills for the professional presentation.
KSEA LETTERS Vol. 40 No. 3 April 2012
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