The 2015 Emerging Leaders in Architecture (ELA) class met in May where the focus was on helping the students write more persuasively and present more effectively.

Ed Crews, principal at Crews Communications, spoke to the students about some of the outlining, writing, and editing that he has seen improve his and others work over the years. He took the students through a series of writing exercises designed to help the students make their point efficiently and effectively.

photo by Marshall Dreiling
photo by Marshall Dreiling

Michael Chapman from the Martin Agency reviewed some of the techniques that the agency uses to make their presentations more impactful. From his experience on being part of the teams that have made some of the most memorable commercials in recent years, he explained to the students that each presentation should be a story.

Work continues on the class project – the neighborhood of Chesterfield Heights in Norfolk. Each student individually presented their ideas of how to deal with the problem of the rising sea level in this area.

The students next session will be taking place on June 12, 2015 in Virginia Beach where they will be learning about the importance of group work dynamics.

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