Targeting the needs of graduate students and postdocs , a seminar entitled “Speaking Skills for Success” was held in the Talley Student Center Walnut Room  Monday.

Larry Nielsen, who held the position of provost from Jan. 2005 until May 2009, now a professor of natural resources, led the two-hour course on how to optimize public speaking abilities.

“When I was provost I did, on average, five speeches per day. So I’ve probably done thousands of speeches,” Nielsen said, “One of the first rules is that it’s about the audience, not the speaker.”

The presentation began by explaining how learning such skills would be beneficial to their futures. Giving a department seminar, teaching, grant proposals and job interviews were a few examples given.

The five fundamentals – content and style, organization, practice, performance and visual aids – were also heavily discussed.

“Brainstorming is essential,” Nielsen added.

In fact, he took his own advice by doing an assortment of activities to engage his audience. One activity was a brainstorming board for the life of a graduate student. Nielsen also performed a juggling demonstration as a metaphor of what happens when you have too many main points in a speech.

In order to get the members at the seminar to see what audiences notice during speeches, Nielsen asked for individuals to call out their pet peeves of speakers to whom they’ve listened. Some answers included monotone voice, overuse of “um”, speaking too fast and reading off the board.

Public speaking for people, in general, is one of the highest-ranked fears.

“I know you’re shy or you’re embarrassed. But just on your own, get it out, say it,” Nielsen said, “In grad school, I was physically ill every time I had to get up and talk. [However], most people in the audience do want you to succeed because they know they’ll be up there eventually.”

Syanne Olson, a graduate in English, said she believes public speaking skills should be a top priority.

“Public speaking is one of the cornerstones of a well rounded individual. The ability to communicate with others and to do it well is essential in academia and even more so in the professional world. Public speaking facilitates the exchange of ideas and opens the door for further learning opportunities,” Olson said.

Julie Canawin , another graduate student, attended the seminar and commented on its effectiveness.

Canawin said, “He led by example and allowed us to see a demonstration of how to be an effective speaker. We are all going to have to [publicly speak]. It’s good to get some prep work under you and learn how to do it right so that it’s not so stressful. I’d recommend [the seminar] to anybody.”

The University will be providing other opportunities for graduate students to gain invaluable information. “Business Emails that Work” and “Elements of Assertiveness” are just a few of the sessions that will be hosted in Talley Student Center this week.