Job competition is fierce and the art of being a strong communicator and public speaker are important qualities that many employers seek.  Many universities offer public speaking courses, and more students should be taking advantage of this opportunity.  Christine Noya, assistant professor of business communication, believes the course does a tremendous amount of good for the students.

“This course is a good one. It does more than just helps them with their speaking. It helps the students become more prepared for the their careers as well as get to know each one of their other classmates. It gets them out of their shells,” said Noya.

The public speaking course teaches several different types of speeches. Throughout the class, the students prepare and present different types of speeches including persuasive, informative, impromptu and special occasion. Each type of speech shows students different ways to share their stories and conduct research through multiple formats. In every speech, students are given the opportunity to practice their speaking and listening skills.

After each speech is over, students critique their peers’ efforts, and offer feedback to the speaker. Being both a speaker and listener can benefit students because they will learn vital skills such as constructive critiquing. After college, when a student has to present a pitch to a committee or a board, for instance, communication skills developed in a public speaking class will be of great use.

“Public Speaking as a course was definitely helpful in my growth as a student and person. It helped me work on my speech and it also fixed my stuttering problem. It makes you work on the little things while speaking in public, especially confidence in communicating,” said sophomore David Miles.

“Helping people succeed and gain confidence in their ability to reach others— that’s what it’s all about in a CM-101 classroom. It’s not about merely regurgitating facts from a textbook or showing off your ‘gift of gab.’ It centers on individualized instruction, experiential learning and coaching everyone to speak from the heart about things they really care about in their assignments,” said Robert Ellis, adjunct instructor in business communication.

Public speaking is a powerful course, and students should consider it as an option. The course develops both the student and the teacher, and offers the chance to polish skills needed in any career.