Speaking

Conversations invite speakers to think in creative collaboration with others and to develop an endurance for engaging with complexity, ambiguity, and difference.

Dialogue demands that participants respect each other’s need to make sense of ideas in a way that writing may not. It insists that we help one another see, hear, question, and understand each other.

Active Listening and Articulate Speech: We promote and practice the willingness and ability to listen with curiosity and generosity to the ideas of others. We think in creative collaboration with students to question assumptions and produce surprising new constellations of meaning. In rigorous debate, we aim to help students develop an endurance for engaging with complexity, ambiguity, and difference.

Speak with us: Speaking is about more than just speech. In one-to-one and small group conversations, we encourage students to become curious, generous listeners and articulate, confident speakers. We invite speakers to consider and experiment with diverse speaking styles and tones, postures and gestures, cadence and presentation, fostering effective communication across various contexts. Whether you want to practice an oral presentation for class, engage in a mock job interview, prepare to chat with your professor during office hours, or simply have a productive exchange of ideas with a peer, our focus is on helping you develop the skills to confidently facilitate meaningful dialogue both in and out of the classroom. To make an appointment, please visit WCOnline.