Session Outline

Academic advising and personal tutoring are central to fostering student success and preparing graduates for diverse outcomes within and beyond higher education (McIntosh et al., 2021; Woods, 2023). While advising traditionally emphasises academic progression, career planning, and personal development, integrating public speaking skills into this framework creates a purposeful mechanism for supporting students’ confidence and readiness for future opportunities. (McGill, Ali, & Barton, 2020).

Public speaking is not merely a communication skill; it is a transformative practice that enhances confidence, critical thinking, and the ability to articulate ideas persuasively. These competencies are directly linked to employability, leadership, and lifelong learning (Brennan, 2023). Advisors and tutors routinely support students as they prepare for interviews, presentations, placements, and key academic or professional transitions - activities that require students to articulate their goals, reflect on their progress, and communicate their developing identities.

Since academic advising is increasingly recognised as a developmental and dialogic practice, where the ability to express one’s experiences and aspirations is central to student growth (Drake, 2011), public speaking therefore has a natural place within advising because it strengthens the reflective, communicative, and self narrative capacities that underpin effective advising relationships (Hagen, 2018). Research shows that students’ ability to verbally articulate their strengths and future pathways enhances their sense of belonging, and academic confidence (Kuh et al., 2010), therefore, integrating structured speaking opportunities, such as oral goal setting tasks, short reflective prompts, or brief practice explanations of academic interests does not expand the responsibility of advisors and tutors. On the contrary, it reinforces their existing role in helping students make meaning of their experiences and navigate transitions (Lowenstein, 2014).

This interactive workshop will demonstrate how public speaking can function as both a pedagogical tool and a developmental outcome within advising. Participants will explore practical strategies and will be introduced to exercises, helping students navigate communication anxiety, build community through peer engagement, and strengthen graduate attributes such as adaptability, teamwork, and professional communication (Brennan, 2023). Advisors and tutors will be guided on how to integrate these activities into tutorials, advising sessions, and co curricular programmes in ways that enrich student development. These activities do not replicate curriculum based teaching; instead, they enhance advising by deepening student engagement, strengthening self efficacy, and making advising conversations more active and student led (McGill et al., 2020).

After the session, advisors and tutors will be equipped to design more holistic support structures that enable students to succeed academically while also developing the confidence and communication skills needed to flourish in professional and civic environments (Feygin et al., 2022). This approach aligns with key priorities in contemporary higher education, including strengthening engagement, supporting retention, and expanding graduate outcomes. In this context, public speaking becomes both a practical tool and a meaningful indicator of student development, helping learners express their identities, ambitions, and achievements with assurance and clarity (Woods, 2023).

Learning Outcomes

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