Workshop will help students learn techniques for effective public speaking in healthcare environments

November 17, 2011 - McMaster University students will have the chance to hone their public speaking skills specifically on healthcare topics at a workshop taking place Thursday, November 24, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Organized by the McMaster Health Forum Student Subcommittee, the workshop will be facilitated by two McMaster-based communications professionals. 

Alexandre Sévigny, associate professor of communication studies, and Terry Flynn, assistant professor of communications management, will help students develop their public speaking abilities by teaching them specific techniques to effectively communicate a message, engage an audience, and be composed when speaking in front of a large number of people.

Both speakers are faculty members in the Department of Communications Studies and Multimedia, and have extensive experience in various types of communications. Sévigny is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Professional Communication and an adjunct faculty member with the Forum, and Flynn is past-president of the Canadian Public Relations Society.

They will open the workshop with two brief presentations - one on general topics and skills associated with public speaking, and the other focused on strategies students can use to achieve specific objectives. These will be followed by a hands-on exercise giving participants an opportunity to tackle a public speaking task related to a healthcare scenario. The two facilitators will provide direct feedback on the efforts of the workshop participants.

The workshop is designed to provide students with skills they can use immediately in class presentations and other university experiences, and carry into their professional careers.

The workshop is open to all students across campus, but space is limited to the first 50 participants to register. To reserve a seat, please RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with “Public Speaking Workshop” in the subject line and with your name and faculty in the text body. Deadline to reserve a spot is Tuesday, November 22 at 5 p.m.

To view a poster for the event, click here.