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Speaking Resources for Your Students

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In 1994 the Commission on Undergraduate Education recommended that the university enhance students’ instruction in oral communication. The Oral Communication Program serves this mandate in a variety of ways.

Oral Communication Workshops

If your students will be giving oral presentations of their work, prepare them ahead of time with a workshop on effective public speaking from Program Director Doree Allen, Ph.D., or Program Lecturer Thomas Freeland, Ph.D. and Helen Lie, Ed.D. These workshops, which are tailored especially to your students’ needs, are a great way to get them thinking about how to structure and deliver their presentations.

Incorporating a Speaking Component into Your Class

We work with faculty members and instructors to integrate speech training effectively into a course’s existing structure and content. It is easier than you may think! To minimize any additional time commitment on your part, we can assign expert student Oral Communication Tutors (OCTs) to your class project. Whether your students are in the initial brainstorming stages or are polishing their final drafts, OCTs can offer personalized advice and coaching throughout the presentation process. Our tutors merge seamlessly into your classes, providing maximum benefit with minimum disruption. Please contact us if you are interested in developing a speaking component for your course, or if you’d simply like to enhance the quality of your students’ oral presentations.

Oral Communication Tutoring

Oral Communication Tutors (OCTs) at the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking can videotape practice sessions and offer personalized feedback and advice on virtually any aspect of your students’ presentations. We offer individual and group appointments in addition to our regularly-scheduled OCT office hours, and we encourage instructors to make these meetings a class requirement. Additionally, The Hume Center features a multimedia library of instructional public speaking materials for all students and faculty.

Oral Communication Program Handouts

For more information, please contact:

Doree Allen, Ph.D.
Program Director
doree.allen@stanford.edu or (650) 725-4149

Thomas Freeland, Ph.D.
Program Lecturer
thomas@stanford.edu or (650) 736-2337

Helen Lie, Ed.D.
Program Lecturer
hlie@stanford.edu or (650) 723-1792

Hume Center for Writing and Speaking
humecenter@stanford.edu or (650) 723-0045