This was my 24th International Project Week (IPW) at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences so I guess that makes me quite the seasoned veteran. My journey by train to the IPW 2024 was much smoother than last year. It was also genuinely nice to have the company of a fellow traveller, my friend and colleague Robin Finesilver. We arrived on time and shared a taxi to our accommodation. Like many other participants, we preferred to stay in an apartment this year rather than one of the hotels.
This IPW was smaller than the 25th anniversary event last year. There were seventeen projects run by guest lecturers from eleven countries, mostly within Europe, with a total of around 250 students signed up. Unfortunately, there was no-one from the UK this year. This is due in part to Brexit since they are no longer eligible for Erasmus funding. We were deeply sorry to be missing our colleagues from the UK such as Jim and Sue Blythe as well as Amerjit and Sarah Walia. I also missed, among others, our Czech colleagues from Olomouc, Michal Menšík and Jarmila Zimmermannová, who were unable to join us this time.
My project this year was “The Art of Public Speaking – How to Give a Successful Presentation in English” which I first ran at Charles University in Prague in 2008, at the Nordhausen IPW in 2012, then at Vilnius Higher Education Institution (VIKO) in Lithuania later that year, and again in 2013. It was good to be reviving this particular course. We looked at and discussed some articles about preparation and rehearsal, making eye contact, handling Q&A sessions, and moderating a panel. And we watched some videos with tips about managing anxiety, using humour, body language, PowerPoint design, and presenting online. We also watched and analysed some famous speeches such as “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr and political speeches by Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Reagan, Michelle Obama, and SNP Member of Parliament Mhairi Black.
All the guest lecturers say this but I really had an amazing group at the IPW this year – thirteen students ironically, not unlucky at all. They each gave three presentations over the course of the week. The first was on the advance homework assignment of reading and presenting a book on public speaking, including some top tips from their book. The second was on a subject of their choice, ranging from Nordhausen’s youth theatre club, fast fashion, how marketing influences consumer behaviour, money-making football, and ultramarathons, to name but a few. I gave them all feedback sheets with comments on presentation style and content, etc. Then the students’ final presentations on the Friday were about public speaking in general or a particular aspect such as “Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking” or “Mastering the Art of Successful Public Speaking: Unlocking the Secrets to Captivating Audiences.” I was very impressed by the standard of the presentations, as were the other groups who listened to their final presentations. What I particularly liked about this year’s students was the way they supported each other and gave each other constructive feedback.
I also swapped groups with my colleague Robin Finesilver for an hour mid-week. His project was “How to Navigate Global Cultural Differences.” He had a small friendly group with a few international students as well as Germans and we had an interesting discussion on the topic. Meanwhile, Robin, a professional musician, worked with my group on microphone technique, vocal projection, and performance. My students very much enjoyed his interactive session.
I didn’t go on as many excursions as usual this year because I also had some editing to do – but I do appreciate the work. I managed to go on one, to the Rosarium in Sangerhausen. It was out of season, so we saw tulips rather than roses (prompting one of my friends to ask why it wasn’t called a tuliparium). We were lucky with the weather that afternoon; the snow that fell earlier that day had stopped, and it was sunny, albeit cold.
I went out for a few very nice meals with my colleagues, this year mostly in smaller groups. The whole group met together with the IPW team at the welcome dinner on Sunday at a lovely new Indian restaurant (Sadhu). During our stay, we also ate Turkish (Irmak Kebap House), Greek (Akropolis), and Italian (Due Angeli). It was all delicious international food and excellent service. There were also international dishes on offer at the Mensa or student canteen throughout the IPW. A few of us also went to the student party on campus on the Tuesday, which was a very good night but a late one with a long walk home afterwards. It’s just as well we were starting teaching a bit later the next day. A crowd of us went to the student club, the Karzer, again on the Thursday night and took part in the pub quiz there, which was fun. The IPW organizers provided pizzas for us instead of the traditional barbecue which the weather did not allow.
The journey home was smooth in the end, despite the Schienenersatzverkehr (replacement bus service) between Sangerhausen and Halle (again!) and construction work at the station in Halle. We were happy once we were safely on the final connection, the train home from Dresden, enjoying good Czech beer and views of the river Elbe and the sandstone rocks, though sad that the wonderful week in Nordhausen was over all too quickly. It was intensive but fun packed as always. A big thank you to Jenny Ettrich and the IPW team, Abu-Bakar Athman, Josephine Sachtler and Sudheer Kumar Nandigama, as well as to Thomas Hoffmann, whose initiative this event was, and to President Jörg Wagner for the gracious invitation. And many thanks to my lovely students and fabulous IPW colleagues. I really do hope to be back in Nordhausen for the next International Project Week in May 2025. Of course, if you or any of your colleagues are interested in a course on public speaking, I would be happy to help by providing training and giving everyone the opportunity to practise in a safe and supportive environment. Don’t hesitate to get in touch: lindajayneturner.com/teaching/
Blog post edited by Robin Finesilver.