Speaking Center opens doors

by Michael Baumann, guest submission

“I read somewhere that giving a speech in public is more terrifying than accidentally appearing in public naked or dying,” said Professor Cliff Oldham.

He informs the student body they can learn to fear public speaking no more, thanks to the addition of the Speaking Center to Clare Hall’s English & Communication Department this past August.


“It’s offering people an opportunity to study a key component of academic success—that is the ability to speak well ranging from formal speeches to informal research,” he said.

Tutors trained in both the Writing Center and the speech team can help prepare students for COM 101 (Introduction to Public Speaking) and other public speaking courses, communication papers, and even job interviews, according to a promotional flier produced by the Center.

The tutors can help with any step in the creative process: brainstorming topic ideas, research, outlining, and polishing the delivery, said Dr. George LaMaster, a director of the Center. “The Speaking Center and the Writing Center are really both centers for rhetorical practice—making strategic choices to communicate effectively,” he said.

Co-founder junior David Martin added that, based on the type of performance, the tutors will employ methods like the “Toulmin Model” for making arguments, “Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Skills” for analysis, and Aristotle’s “ethos, pathos, logos” triangle of persuasion.

“The most important function of the Speaking Center is that it allows for students to work collaboratively to achieve success in academics and success in education. One concern on employers is a student’s ability to communicate effectively,” said Martin.

“In response to this, we designed a program, a writing component as well as an actual interaction,” he said.

The students underwent a training session with LaMaster in August. “I’ve enjoyed working with the speaking center staff. They’re some of the brightest students on campus,” said LaMaster.
The Center has provided a little over 100 tutorials since its inception in August, mostly thanks to students' visits required by COM 101 instructors. This year, according to Martin, is like a pilot episode of what’s to come, and the required visits help to train the tutors. He expects more and more business as the Center ages.

“We’ve received positive feedback from faculty,” said Oldham. “The Speaking Center addresses a longtime need.”

For example, Assistant Director of Forensics and communication professor Dr. Michelle Kelsey Kearl said after a required visit to the Center last semester, her COM 101 students’ grades significantly improved.

“I believe it was something like 23%.

“What is remarkable about the [Speaking Center] is that it helps a first year public speaking student who may have a great deal of anxiety about speaking in public, as well as a senior Business or Nursing major who also substantially rely on clear and concise presentations of information in a public setting,” said Kelsey Kearl.

“The [Speaking Center] is an essential and enriching program in the department of English and Communication,” she said.

The Center is a new academic institution professors encourage students to use to become more marketable in the working world and to feel and be more confident and effective as public speakers.

“I’m thrilled that we’ve added a speaking center. That corner of the lower level of Clare Hall provides a whole lot of students with a whole lot of opportunities to help them succeed,” said LaMaster.

“Plus the people who work there are rad and quite talented,” added Kelsey Kearl.

And it may help students to conquer their fears of public speaking—if not also those fears of mortality and public nudity.
POE:
To contact the Speaking Center for more information, to meet the staff, or set up an appointment:
Call (317) 955-6244
Email writingcenter@marian.edu
Visit Clare Hall 023, M-F 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.