Sprechen Hilft – Articulating Yourself with Character
{Part of Pitching for Architects}

How do you talk about yourself? Do you even want to? Do you need to? Doesn’t your work speak for itself? As an architect you are used to, and schooled in, expressing yourself through your design, through the objects you create or propose. But while a picture speaks a thousand words, a story well told brings to life a whole universe. Words, for many in the visual and three-dimensional arts and professions, can seem
difficult, an obstacle even, rather than a magnificent instrument towards freedom of expression. That need not be the case. The aim of Sprechen Hilft is to assist you in liberating yourself from the constraints of formality, and to give you the confidence, experience and joy of articulating yourself as a professional, with character.

In a world that is saturated with generic imagery and media, it is language that helps us express ourselves in concrete terms. In this course we will bring together a theoretical discourse and the practical application of language in the context of architecture. We will look at some of the psychological aspects of the articulation of architecture and examine how language is deployed in our field – the power structures of professional relationships, the tonality of those who ‘commission’ and those who ‘create’, and how culture (including an industry culture such as ours) is both reflected and shaped by language. We will also use exercises and experimentation in language to find our voice as creative professionals. We want to free ourselves from formulaic writing and escape the limitations of jargon and become comfortable at using our own words well. Our creativity does not absolve us from the need (nor obliterate our desire) to communicate. In fact the opposite: we want to use our intuition to talk about ourselves and our work in a way that can not In a world that is saturated with generic imagery and media, it is language that helps us express ourselves in concrete terms. In this course we will bring together a theoretical discourse and the practical application of language in the context of
architecture. We will look at some of the psychological aspects of the articulation of architecture and examine how language is deployed in our field – the power structures of professional relationships, the tonality of those who ‘commission’ and those who ‘create’, and how culture (including an industry culture such as ours) is both reflected and shaped by language. We will also use exercises and experimentation in language to find our voice as creative professionals. We want to free ourselves from formulaic writing and escape the limitations of jargon and become comfortable at using our own words well. Our creativity does not absolve us from the need (nor obliterate our desire) to communicate. In fact the opposite: we want to use our intuition to talk about ourselves and our work in a way that can not only be understood, but that in turn excites and inspires others: we do, after all, have something to say to a purpose.
No special equipment or software is required for this course, you only need to be able to write in English or German, or both.

Thursday 12th October 2017, 9:30 – 13:30
Thursday 19th October 2017, 9:30 – 13:30

Thursday 9th November 2017, 9:30 – 13:30
Thursday 16th November 2017, 9:30 – 13:30

Thursday 11th January 2018, 9:30 – 13:30
Thursday 18th January 2018, 9:30 – 13:30