The Speakers’ Center at Iona, a resource of the Speech Communication Studies Department, will work with you to help improve your communication skills.

Through a variety of workshops and one-on-one sessions, students and faculty are able to develop their public speaking, interviewing and story-telling skills.

“Just do it because it’s going to help you in the long run. These are skills that we know college students need to succeed after college,” chair of the Speech Communication Studies Department Diane Ferrero-Paluzzi said.

Whether you want to learn how to become more compelling in your story-telling, or are worried about convincing your audience with your presentation, the Speakers’ Center at Iona has workshops for anything you need.

“It’s kind of like tutoring center for people who would like more help with speeches,” Ferrero-Paluzzi said.

Other individual meetings offered at the Speakers’ Center include accent training which helps with articulation and accent modification for actors who might need to practice an accent for a role.

The center also offers training to reduce your anxiety while public speaking. This can be especially helpful if it’s been a while since you took Introduction to Oral Communication.

The meeting times of the programs and sessions shouldn’t stop you from improving your speaking skills. They offer meeting times during the summer, school year and sometimes the weekend.

If you find yourself as anxious about coming in as you are about public speaking, you should know that the environment created by the Speakers’ Center is intended to be non-graded and non-judgmental. This is intended to alleviate some of the pressure you might find yourself under when giving a presentation or trying to impress a potential employer.

“The nervousness usually comes when you’re thinking about being judged,” Ferrero-Paluzzi said.

Good communication skills are going to be a part of your life for the rest of your life. Whether it’s at a business meeting or when you’re trying to land your dream job.

Upcoming workshops include:

Presentation Skills Workshop:

On Oct. 26 from 6-8 p.m. a workshop will be held to help improve your public speaking skills. No longer should you have to fear the phrase “oral presentation” because with the presentation skills workshop, you will learn to deliver powerful speeches whether it’s in the classroom or the work place.

Story Telling Workshop:

On Nov. 2 from 6-8 p.m. a workshop will be held to improve story-telling skills. This is especially essential for students interested in creative writing and journalism, and will focus on how to put a story or a paper together. The workshop involves analyzing stories to find out what makes them so compelling, and the training is completed with a final story slam.

Interviewing Skills Workshop:

On Nov. 16 from 6-8p.m. a workshop will be held to help students improve their interviewing skills. The ability to conduct yourself while in an interview can be necessary when looking for a job or internship in the future.

Students interested in the program should email Dr. Diane Ferrero-Paluzzi at [email protected]. One-on-one sessions are available upon request.