Jitesh Jaggi
Jitesh Jaggi is a Moth award-winning storyteller who believes that by harnessing our personal stories we can communicate effectively across barriers. Having traveled the world Jitesh Jaggi teaches how despite our backgrounds, our fears and hopes are surprisingly common!
TOPICS
- AAPI Focused
- Character Development
- Immigration
- Leadership
- Multicultural
- Motivation & Inspiration
- Personal Growth
- Communication
- Creative Thinking
- Social Justice
KEYNOTES
Getting to know
Jitesh Jaggi
Jitesh Jaggi has lived several lives: an investment banker, a teacher, a writer, and an award-winning performer. Apart from these professional capacities, Jitesh immersed himself in storytelling where he won back-to-back The Moth Slams and was featured on public radio all over the country. This myriad of experiences gives him a unique vantage point to understand the fears, beliefs, aspirations, goals, and hurdles that people grapple with daily.
Living in two different countries (Jitesh was born and brought up in Mumbai, India) and traveling all over the world during these years made him realize that despite a person’s background, these fears and hopes are surprisingly common! Jitesh Jaggi has since made it his mission to help students and would-be professionals navigate the world by breaking down complex interactions by focusing on their personal stories.
Our stories are something we carry with us everyday, we just need a reminder to bring them forth and put them to use. Jitesh uses humor and interpersonal connection to empower college students with this simple tool that they will use to start dialogues and get their point across about topics as varied as race, sexuality, social issues, mental health, and personal goals. He shows students how to open new doors for themselves by turning talking points into compelling and persuasive narratives through storytelling.
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
To help you promote your event with Jitesh, CAMPUSPEAK has created promotional templates you can use. In this folder, you will find resources for social media, a promotional poster for printing, and press photos you can use for your event.
Link to Promotional Materials
LOGISTICAL MATERIALS
Stories about sex, caregiving, experimenting with psychedelics all for science. In this very fun and sciency show tomorrow at 7 pm. While celebrating the 90th birthday of the Museum of Science and Industry. How does that sound?
Ticket link in bio 😉
I was checking my emails and look what I find in my inbox!
Story Collider is on the Museum of Science and Industry newsletter! Grab your tickets for the show tomorrow at 7 pm at the link in bio. The venue is legendary.
And Happy 90th Bday MSI!! 🥳
Story Collider show is back!!
And the venue?????….The Museum of Science and Industry??!!!!! 🤯🤯
This is going to be dope. Not only you get to check a show at one of the greatest museums the city has to offer, but also listen to some fire stories about Science from everyday people.
To top it all, @lilybe606 and I are gonna keep you entertained throughout with our hosting 🎤🎤
Thursday at 7 pm.
Grab your tickets from the link in bio.
Upcoming June shows:
6/3- Hosting Story Sessions Open Mic at Sauce and Bread Kitchen at 7 pm
6/4- Performing as the Featured storyteller at the Illinois Storytelling virtual show at 7 pm
6/8- Hosting The Story Collider show at Museum of Science and Industry at 7 pm
6/11- telling a story at Chicago Mehfil at the Chicago Athletic Association
6/21- Reading a poem at the Poetry Salon at City Lit Books
But mostly recovering from finishing my solo show! I’ve talked too much, might make hand gestures more often 🫡🙏🏼🤌🏼🫶🏼🤓
I needed a whole week to process what happened last Saturday. Suitcase Stories- my solo show- was a hit. I don’t allow myself to say that often. But there’s no denying it.
People came out with friends and families, some people travelled from a different city to attend, some people came out to watch it for a second time, some who bought tickets earlier but couldn’t attend bought tickets again to watch it. All I can come up with is that it felt like a giant, meaningful hug.
Many of them had no reason to trust that I can put up a good show. Why would they? I have zero background in theatre, stand up, long form storytelling etc. I didn’t even do any of this in school. But they trusted the idea of me standing on stage and figuring out, with them, what a home means. And we did, together.
In the end I turned it around and asked others to share their own stories about home. The lights went up and I see South Asian elders, young people, Black folks, Trans folks, people from the diaspora, and just every shade and stripe of American you could think of.
The promise was to have a moment together as a community. That I did deliver. The laughing and crying and talking in all directions together was the proof. Thanks for giving me a sold out show. Thanks for being vulnerable with me. We should do this again 💛🧡
Special shoutout to @southasiainstitute for hosting me and believing in my vision. More to come soon. Stay tuned.
I bared my life on stage yesterday, but kept my art moving through and from it. Somehow it moved people enough to laugh and cry with me but also join me in sharing their stories at the end.
Although I love the love, I don’t know how to process 82 people showing up and standing on their feet at the end to acknowledge the artist they saw in front of them. Standing ovations are something I join in, not what I receive. So this is still difficult to fully embrace, coming from a mindset that told me I’m supposed to be quiet and in a corner, existing. Not in the front and center being celebrated and honoured.
There’s more work to do. On the show and my hang ups in receiving community love in all the forms it comes.
But in the meantime, I accept it all. And I sit with it. With immense gratitude.
Thanks for everyone who came in and filled the room. I see you all 💛
Please send me your feedback in the comments or leave me a message. I would love to hear your thoughts
Ta-day is da day!
Tickets can be bought at the venue @southasiainstitute
Show starts at 3.
Stay back to share some of your own stories with me and look at the wonderful art around the gallery.
Some of you know I used to be a bboy- and battle other dancers. I had to take a break from that breakdancing for various reasons, but mostly to focus on other things. Like the written and spoken word. So it was fun competing at @writeclubnation where I got to battle again, but with words this time. You prepare a written piece on a given topic and defend it. The audience votes for the winner.
And I won!
This could mean one of two things:
1- that the audience was so incredibly drunk that they couldn’t decipher a single word and just voted for the guy with the weird accent, or
2- that I can write decently and hold my own when it comes to performing words
If you think it’s the 2nd, then come to my damn show tomorrow afternoon because it’s a blast!!! (Link in bio) 🤓
And if you think it’s the 1st, then we gotta battle it out old school with backspins and top rock baby 😤
Either way, my sincere thanks to @corrbette and @shuagoren for creating this very unique literary show, and for being the hosts (because you don’t want them as competitors!)
Stay tuned for their fundraiser on July 11th!
All picture credits to the wonderful @selfoto
And a final note, on why it is so important to me.
And to us, if we’re going to have multicultural voices in the mix.
#storytelling #story #stories #storyteller #AAPI #AAPIMONTH #asianamerican #voices #southasian #asian #american #chicago #chicagoevents #diversity #desi #brown #comedy #chicago #thingstodoinchicago
Foraging the depths of a peanut butter jar one day, Jitesh realized with shock that he is now an Indian-American! Can home change? Can identity? Does love? Follow his journey as he leaves India for America in the pursuit of love and goes back to find that the hometown he missed, was missing. Will he be able to recreate what home is?
In this hilarious and introspective story, Jitesh Jaggi shares his unwelcoming American immigration process only to make everyone in the audience feel welcome!
Buy your tickets at the link in bio.
#storytelling #stories #storyteller #chicago #india #asianamerican #aapi #aapiheritagemonth #asian #indian #thingstodoinchicago #immigration #immigrant #refugees #immigrants #story #onemanshow #soloshow #onepersonshow #chicagogram #chicagoblogger #chitown #chicagoart #chicagohome #home #show #theatre #comedy #chicagocomedy
This cabin is Home for a week to practise for Suitcase Stories in solitude. I’ll see y’all on Saturday at 3 pm. Prepared and rested and excited to see your faces.
You know where the ticket link is.
KEYNOTES
Your Story Can Change The World, Literally
Texting, emails, meet-ups, phone calls, video chats- so many ways to interact! But is your message getting through? Does it feel sometimes like you’re speaking into the abyss with no recognition on your listener’s face? It can be frustrating to have something to say- an idea, and so many ways to express it if you still feel unheard. College is an especially vulnerable time when you are challenged to form a voice for yourself in a sometimes intimidating academic environment.
In this keynote, Jitesh Jaggi breaks down how to make a compelling argument. Most times, we don’t want to change people’s minds, we just want our thoughts to be perceived as valid. Jitesh teaches a fun way of arranging the raw ideas in our heads into a persuasive narrative through Storytelling. He teaches effective communication methods like how to use humor and personal stories to get your audience’s attention. Regardless of who the audience is- professors, group of friends, work colleagues, interviewers; we all respond to certain cues that make us drop whatever we’re doing and listen closely. Jitesh helps students see that the ability to hold someone’s attention in the midst of a million distractions is nothing short of a superpower!
Students by participating in this keynote learn to be persuasive and effective in communicating their stories in applied ways. It is an approach that humanizes the person behind the data, the idea, the suggestion. Students learn that nobody can look away from a compelling story. Storytelling is for everybody who wants to be heard and struggles with getting their point across succinctly. By harnessing our personal stories, we can make our talking points memorable and nudge the listener towards action organically. Your stories pave the way for you to be heard. Jitesh helps you tell it!
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- how to consolidate their ideas and suggestions,
- how to personalize their message by using storytelling,
- how to hold a listener’s attention, and
- how to persuade them to favorable action through our stories.
Doing Justice to Social Justice Initiatives
College campuses are epicenters for social justice issues, cultural thought, and political debate. With the age of the internet, students can gather information quicker and mobilize like-minded people to come together and form alliances. But when everyone wants to feel heard at the same time, the result is chaos. Chaos for the college and for students who feel like their voice is being drowned out in the commotion. Whether it’s about racism, sexism, politics, mental health awareness- there are ways to hold discussions that don’t end in students speaking over each other or rebelling without a goal.
By introducing storytelling, Jitesh Jaggi leads students to consolidate their thoughts, formulate an agenda, and foster healthy discussions that do justice to the topic at hand. This keynote brings a semblance of normalcy and stillness to students who feel overwhelmed with social issues and are struggling for a means of expression. Jitesh guides students in self-reflection and identifying issues they deeply care about. As an award-winning storyteller, he teaches students how to express their personal stories that are relevant to the issues close to their heart- thus linking the personal and the political. Students learn that movements like #metoo were impactful because of the personal stories shared by women, among others. This keynote is an exercise in collective healing via dialogue and empathy.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- how to raise awareness for a cause close to their heart,
- how to hold productive discussions around the cause,
- how to channel personal stories to amplify the cause, and
- how to deal with obstacles and strategize for resolution.
Public Speaking: From Fear to Freedom
Research has shown, quite comically, that the fear of public speaking is more debilitating than the fear of getting bitten by a snake! How can students navigate this fear at campuses where they are more likely to encounter an audience of people than a reptile? Whether it’s giving a presentation in class, interviewing for a job, or a good-old getting on a soapbox to hold people’s attention, students are expected to be naturally skilled at talking to a crowd without freezing with fear, let alone being nervous.
Storytelling! In this keynote, Jitesh Jaggi teaches the basic principles of connecting our talking points to our life experiences. Students gain the essential skills of speaking confidently when faced with an audience, even if they are figures of authority. As an award-winning storyteller, Jitesh practices narrative traditions that humans have used since time immemorial to get their words across with conviction. Attending this keynote, students will learn not only how to be free from the fear of speaking in public but also enjoy giving presentations by using the strategic tools of storytelling.
Sweaty palms, nervous tics, stuttering can be embarrassing. Students especially are vulnerable to their classmates and their senior’s approval. Choking during a presentation or shying away from a group conversation can leave an emotional scar that can alter a student’s life and career path. By taking away the fear from public speaking and making it accessible in an everyday context, Jitesh guides the students to open up at their own pace and embrace talking to a crowd without fearing social rejection. Your stories can set you free!
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- how to communicate without fearing disapproval,
- how to build a stage presence to captivate a diverse audience,
- tips and tricks to cope with microphone shyness,
- how to embrace speaking your mind in a group setting.
