Connect 351’s revamped Thursday lineup offers speakers, workshops

The MMA is expanding its Thursday programming for the upcoming Connect 351 conference, with timely workshops, a session on public speaking, and a panel with a local news reporter with an especially joyful Boston accent.

Connect 351’s Thursday programming has been growing in popularity since it was launched two years ago. For 2027, the MMA is adding a block of six workshops, starting 1:30 p.m., on topics including procurement; communications; diversity, equity and inclusion; employment liability; clean energy siting and permitting; and artificial intelligence. (Twelve more workshops will be held the next day.)

At 3 p.m., attendees can choose between two special events: a Women Leading Government conversation with popular Boston Globe reporter Emily Sweeney; and a skills training session with Kit Pang, founder of BostonSpeaks. Both hour-long sessions are open to all Connect 351 attendees.

The conference will be held from Jan. 21 through 23 at the Menino Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston’s Seaport District.

WLG interviews Sweeney
The WLG panel will play “Ask the Reporter” with Sweeney, who was recently named the Globe’s first social video journalist and is known for her memorable interviews of both well-known public figures and regular people on the street.

A Globe reporter since 2003, she achieved viral fame with her lively video report on the March invasion of a Beverly mansion, notable for her pronunciation of words like “caretaker” and “intruder.” The video received millions of views within days.

Along with her Boston accent, Sweeney has charmed viewers from Greater Boston to Guam with her spiky blonde hair and penchant for track suits, as well as her inventive approach to interviews. In recent months, she has discussed inflation with shoppers at a Market Basket (or rather, “Mahkit Baskit”), interviewed State Auditor Diana DiZoglio while pedaling a duck-shaped paddleboat, and explored the unexpected attractiveness of a bronze statue of “Moby Dick” author Herman Mellville, following its recent unveiling in New Bedford.

When asked about her newfound fame, the Dorchester native and former Northeastern University hockey player has said that people find her relatable at a time when authenticity seems to be in short supply.

“There’s a lot of mistrust of large institutions,” Sweeney told Today.com. “There’s a lot of mistrust of mainstream media. And I think that having a voice that doesn’t sound like a typical news broadcaster voice — it sounds more real, because it is real. It’s kind of like you’re getting the news from your auto mechanic or something, you know what I mean?”

Sweeney is also the author of several books, including “Boston Organized Crime,” “Gangland Boston,” and “Dropkick Murphy: A Legendary Life.”

Public speaking training
In an interactive session, Pang will share insights from his career of helping Fortune 500 leaders, TEDx speakers, professional athletes and Michelin-starred chefs become better public speakers. His engaging approach will help attendees sharpen their speaking skills, explore powerful speaking techniques, examine their mindset to address speaking beliefs, work on their delivery, and venture outside their comfort zone toward public speaking success.

Pang’s focus on three pillars of public speaking — “Mindset, Manner, Matter” — aims to help people manage how they think, feel and act in order to speak with greater confidence and perform under pressure; hone their presence and delivery; and explore strategies for making their content engaging, clear and persuasive.

Participants will explore persuasive language patterns and learn how to be more clear and coherent and to improve their presence with the effective use of hand gestures. Participants will break into pairs and small groups to practice, and then discuss what they’ve learned.

“Think of it as a gym class, but for speaking,” Pang told the MMA.

Visit the Connect 351 website for complete information about the conference and to register.