Speak up!

Employers want graduates who are good communicators, but that means being able to speak well, not just write well.

At UTS, students are being encouraged to make their voices heard through Speak Up and the Brennan Justice and Leadership Program (more colloquially known as the Brennan Program).

Lecturer Dr George Herok uses the Speak Up program to teach second-year science students essential speaking skills. His project, which was funded by a 2015 Learning and Teaching Grant, requires students to perform and film oral presentations on a topic of their choosing.

“We get students to do oral presentations, primarily because it’s the most highly ranked graduate attribute in all employer surveys,” says Herok.

“Unfortunately,” he adds, “a lot of students don’t get that experience. You always have to communicate, whatever field you are in, and if you can’t communicate well then that’s a problem.”

Second-year science student Bahia Chahwan agrees. “With science you need to work with colleagues. In a situation where you need to talk in front of a few people, you know you’re confident doing that, you don’t need to be so nervous because you’ve already had the experience.”

Social Justice Soapbox session. Photo by: Jamesina McLeod

She says projects, like Herok’s, give students “the confidence to talk to people. You can present your ideas clearly.”

A professional speaking voice is also a skill taught at the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism. The UTS centre conducts voice training courses run by professional voice trainer Shane Fitzgerald.

“It’s a really practical course,” says postgraduate journalism student Charlie Drayton. “We spent most of our time standing up and getting into some voice training exercises.

“I think it’s very important because if you look at most journalists these days whether in print or TV, they’re good communicators; it’s a really important part of the job.

“The more effectively you can get your message across and in a clear and concise way, the more impact you’ll have as a journalist.”

Drayton, who says the results were immediate, recommends the course to all students. “Going into it I was a bit of an awkward-speaking 20-year-old and coming out of it I’ve seen a huge change in my voice, in the way I enunciate words.”

Enunciation is a skill law and international studies student Cecilia Ngu has seen students develop as part of the Brennan Program – a joint initiative of the UTS Faculty of Law and the UTS Law Students’ Society that began in 2011.

Ngu, also the 2014 Brennan Program Co-Director, says the program “aims to include the fundamental ideas of leadership, service and justice and incorporate that into the law degree.”

Students are encouraged to volunteer with community organisations where they gain experience and skills working in the legal sector, and to, literally, get up on their soapbox. The annual Social Justice Soapbox is a lunchtime session where students are invited to grab the microphone and rant, for two minutes, about any social justice or legal topic they want. 

Students who speak (and provide an accompanying 500 word statement on their chosen topic) accrue 10 points towards their Brennan Justice and Leadership Award. (Students need 100 points to obtain the award.)

Ngu says, “It’s experiential learning. It encourages active involvement in the community, not just being involved academically. The program’s also great for improving your communication skills.”