TEDxDelft 2013 | The people behind TEDxDelft – Martijn Wackers – Rhetoric can help you achieve almost anything

 What is your role at TEDxDelft? 

I am a performer coach. With the team of performer coaches, we help the performers in shaping their story and to give the performance of their lives on stage.

Why did you get involved with the organization?

Since 2009, I have worked as a communicative skills lecturer at TU Delft’s Centre for Languages and Academic Skills, teaching presentation, debating and writing skills to (PhD) students of almost all the faculties. My colleague Caryn ‘t Hart de Wijkerslooth got involved in organizing TEDxDelft and asked me and some of my colleagues to be part of the performer coaching team. As a communications lecturer and researcher into rhetoric, one of my professional passions is to help presenters build and polish their story and performance. So, my decision to join the performer coach team was swiftly made!

How long have you been a part of the TEDxDelft team?

TEDxDelft 2015 will be my second event in the team.

If you could choose one person to give a talk at TEDxDelft, who would it be and why?

I would be very curious to see Guy Garvey, lead singer of the British band Elbow, on the TEDxDelft stage. I have seen Elbow live a few times, and it always struck me that Garvey is a wonderful and charming storyteller – both in the song lyrics and as a host of their show. I think he would be able to give a compelling and inspiring talk about the craftsmanship of songwriting.

What’s your nerdy little secret?

To relax, I sometimes like to pour myself a glass of whisky and indulge in a British detective series in which a typical duo of investigators has to solve a murder in some rural village.