{"id":47702,"date":"2019-12-05T07:39:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T14:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/colleges-that-offer-great-public-speaking-courses\/"},"modified":"2019-12-05T07:39:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T14:39:00","slug":"colleges-that-offer-great-public-speaking-courses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/colleges-that-offer-great-public-speaking-courses\/","title":{"rendered":"Colleges That Offer Great Public Speaking Courses"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Public<\/figure>\n

Poise, confidence and the ability to command a room – public speaking can be a powerful, versatile tool for your academic and professional toolkit.<\/p>\n

It is extremely rare for a career path to not require public speaking at some juncture, and the benefits of being a good public speaker also extend to one\u2019s personal life – from giving toasts at family functions, to speaking up in a town hall meeting at your neighborhood council meeting.<\/p>\n

While public speaking is required of most of us at some point, look to any survey that polls the \u201cthings people are most afraid of,\u201d and public speaking will appear at the top of the list, oftentimes above getting struck by lightning and shark attacks. Even if you generally consider yourself a confident person, or feel qualified to discuss a chosen topic, something about going to the front of a room to speak to a large group causes most people some form of anxiety.<\/p>\n

Training in public speaking can go a long way to erasing any self-doubt, and give you an advantage down the road. College is an excellent time to take risks, and is the perfect time to perfect your public speaking skills. Beyond basic public speaking courses that you can take as a part of your degree\u2019s course load, there are many other ways to improve your public speaking skills while at college, which we\u2019ll explore in this article.<\/p>\n

Going Beyond Public Speaking 101<\/h2>\n

Most traditional public speaking courses follow a similar format: You will be exposed to different strategies and tips to effectively communicate your ideas, you will prepare your own original presentation, and present it to your classmates, who then offer constructive feedback. It\u2019s a ubiquitous model because it\u2019s effective. You can only improve your public speaking skills with feedback, and analyzing others\u2019 approaches and providing feedback can further enhance your own skills.<\/p>\n

While fundamental public speaking courses can help boost your public speaking skills, it\u2019s also important to develop the specific presentation skills that are required in your targeted post-graduation industry. These bespoke communication skills can also be found through college courses. Below are some example courses from top-tier schools that diverge from the approach of the traditional Public Speaking 101<\/em> class:<\/p>\n

Stanford University <\/h3>\n

Stanford\u2019s ENGR 103: Public Speaking<\/a><\/em> <\/strong>course breaks the mold as it focuses on public speaking specifically for engineering students. Even if your passion is to work in the lab, you can\u2019t escape having to share your findings or teach the next generation of technicians. While STEM fields are not widely considered to require excellent public speaking skills, STEM practitioners who do possess excellent communication skills will have a distinct advantage when moving from entry-level to management positions.<\/p>\n

Northwestern University <\/h3>\n

Within Northwestern University\u2019s School of Communication, you can dive deep into the theory and practice of communication through its Strategic and Organizational Communication Module<\/em><\/a>. This module focuses on preparing students to anticipate real-world communication situations, with courses like Bargaining and Negotiation<\/em>, which get students ready to tackle high-stakes communication challenges through experiential exercises and role-playing.<\/p>\n

University of Southern California (USC)\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n

USC is home to a top-tier film school and is in the heart of Los Angeles, one of the most creative cities in the country, which makes it a prime location for resources on how to present yourself. USC\u2019s Public Speaking as Performance: A Course for Non-Actors<\/em><\/a> <\/strong>draws on acting techniques to approach public speaking, even if you aren\u2019t aiming to win your own Oscar any time soon.<\/p>\n

New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts\u00a0 <\/h3>\n

New York City is a hotspot for the arts, especially performance arts, and NYU Tisch is one of the most prominent arts undergraduate schools. Even if performing on stage is not your chosen path, you can take advantage of the industry-recognized faculty and passionate peers through NYU\u2019s art courses for non-majors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

University of Pennsylvania, Wharton Undergraduate <\/h3>\n

Being a good business person is all about being an exemplary communicator. At one of the best undergraduate business programs in the country, you can complement your studies in marketing with a more in-depth exposure to communication through a dual concentration in marketing and communication<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pre-college and Summer Options<\/h2>\n

If your course load is packed to the gills with core requirements, you may want to consider taking on a summer course to broaden your public speaking skillset. There are a wide variety of options available, and working on these skills in the summertime will give you an opportunity to focus on strengthening them during a low-stress part of the year.<\/p>\n

If you are still in high school, a pre-college course can also provide the dual benefits of exposing you to the challenges of college-level coursework, and help you get a leg up when preparing for your college interviews.<\/p>\n

Brown University<\/h3>\n

In Brown\u2019s Public Speaking for the American University Experience<\/a>, you have the opportunity to practice \u201cargumentation, interviewing, and formal multimedia presentations.\u201d If you are an international student looking to apply to a top-tier university in the U.S., specialized resources such as this one will go a long way to helping you feel prepared. <\/p>\n

Harvard University<\/h3>\n

Public Speaking<\/a>, through Harvard\u2019s Drama department, is open to students of any experience level, which makes it a safe space to take a risk if public speaking is currently your #1 phobia.<\/p>\n

Stanford University<\/h3>\n

Despite its catchy title, <\/strong>Public Speaking: Romancing the Room<\/a> is a \u201cpractical approach\u201d to public speaking training, and provides exposure to essential on-the-job skills such as interviewing and persuasion.<\/p>\n

University of Pennsylvania<\/h3>\n

Public Speaking in the Age of TEDtalks<\/a> provides a unique approach to the art of the \u201csound bite\u201d and communicating on screen. With YouTube and TikTok shrinking the public\u2019s attention spans, this course can give you a head start on becoming the next influencer in your chosen field.<\/p>\n

Extracurricular Options<\/h2>\n

Any college alum will be quick to tell you that some of the most valuable leadership experiences and learning opportunities during college will happen outside of the classroom. By collaborating with your peers to achieve a goal, you gain hands-on, real-time practice of the skills and situations you\u2019ll encounter once you\u2019ve graduated and entered the professional world.<\/p>\n

To that end, you can refine and enhance your public speaking skills through active involvement in one of your college\u2019s extracurricular resources, with the added bonus of making your resume more competitive. <\/p>\n

Debate Team <\/h3>\n

The skills you must develop to become a champion debater will make public speaking in your career a breeze. To prepare and compete in a debate competition, you must utilize sophisticated research skills to prepare your case, and be able to nimbly anticipate counter-arguments to your position in a timed competition against your opponent. This is a fast-paced, adversarial variant of public speaking, but if you can hold your own in a debate, stepping up to give a straightforward presentation at work will feel easy.<\/p>\n

It is also worth noting that in some professions, most notably a career in politics, you must be comfortable in an actual<\/em> debate setting. This extends to many other careers as well, such as law or journalism, in which being prepared and comfortable with argumentation will enable you to excel in your field.<\/p>\n

The American Parliamentary Debate Association<\/a> (APDA) determines the rankings of U.S. university debate teams and their performances. Some highly-ranked debate teams include:<\/p>\n