Speaking Center Workshops
speaking as an international student
10 September 2007 — 10:00 a.m.
Location: The Speaking Center, McCain Library
Speaking as an international student presents challenges for both speakers and listeners. This workshop focuses on some of those challenges and strategies to help overcome obstacles to understanding one another. International students studying at Agnes Scott and students planning to study aboard will benefit from the information covered in the workshop.
Topics include:
- understanding cultural differences in communication
- organizing your ideas
- working on articulation and enunciation
- strategies for delivering and communicating your message
overcoming speech anxiety
8 November 2007 — 6:00 p.m.
Location: Lower Evans A & B
Topics include:
- relaxation techniques
- rehearsing your presentation
- creating effective note cards
- developing an audience-centered presentation
improving your speaking style
26 February 2008 — 6:00 p.m.
Location: The Speaking Center, McCain G–37
One of the fundamental goals of communication is understanding, that is, your message "makes sense" to your audience. This workshop focuses on techniques for improving your speaking style to more effectively communicate your message to a diverse audience.
Topics include:
- developing main points with supporting materials
- organizing your presentation to fit the context
- choosing language appropriate for the audience
- delivery techniques to enhance engagement
SpARC! planning and delivering research presentations (qualitative research)
8 April 2008 — 6:00 p.m.
Location: The Speaking Center, McCain G–37
One of the many highlights of the Spring Term at Agnes Scott is the Spring Annual Research Conference (SpARC). Interdisciplinary in nature, SpARC "fosters essential connections across academic disciplines and encourages an ongoing dialogue among the liberal arts and sciences."
SpARC presentations celebrate individual and collaborative student and faculty research. However, the rhetorical situation for a SpARC presentation brings into play a set of unique demands for the speaker. In this workshop, speaking center tutors will address important questions facing each SpARC presenter.
Some questions covered in the workshop include:
- How do I convert a 25-page paper into a 20 minute presentation?
- How do I convey meaning to an audience unfamiliar with central theories and ideas in my research?
- How do I engage the audience in my research?
- How do I construct visual aids to enhance audience understanding of my research?
SpARC! planning and delivering research presentations (quantitative research)
15 April 2008 — 6:00 p.m.
Location: The Speaking Center, McCain G–37
Come learn how to present your empirical or quantitative research. In this workshop, speaking center tutors will cover the basics of effective oral presentations. Additionally, tutors will discuss the following questions:
- How do I explain the significance of my research?
- How do I translate technical and discipline–specific language to a general audience?
- How should I present and discuss my hypotheses?
- How should I present my research methodology?
- Do I need to include statistical analysis?
- How should I organize and present my results and discussion sections?
- How will visual aids enhance my presentation?
- How can I help my audience understand my research?