Written by: Kendra Wormald / Academia Communication / October 12, 2022 / 10 minutes read

Whether you’re a parent of a student, or the student yourself, you may be feeling anxious or underprepared for the academic year ahead, to which I will say you are not alone in those feelings. This time of year significantly draws on communication skills which may not have been put into practice over the summer. Below are some concepts to consider as you get back into the school routine and plan for success.

Within your academic career you will likely be required to speak in front of a group of people, whether for a presentation or answering class questions. One of the most frequent challenges I hear from clients is that their fear of public speaking keeps them from being successful socially and in the classroom. Overcoming these fears isn’t easy but here are some ways to make them more manageable and focus on the message, not the fear:

1. Develop positive affirming statements: The power of positive self-talk along with deep controlled breathing can calm the nervous system, reduce heart rate and help you focus your attention. 

2. Practice. Practice. Practice: The more familiar and prepared you are with your content will help ease anxieties. Record yourself and listen back with the perspective of the listener in mind - how was your rate, did you trail off at the end of sentences, did you sound monotone? 

3. Posture and Power Positions: Sit/stand up tall, shoulders back and relaxed. Don’t cross your arms or put your hands in your pockets. Practicing power poses such as the ones found here can help you feel more assertive, confident and relaxed. 

Our MasterClass on Assertive communication provides more detail and practice regarding these areas. 

In order to deliver an effective presentation, you first want to know your target audience. You want to consider how big your audience is, how much you think they know about the topic and how much they actually know, what they want to know, and what the purpose is of attending your presentation. 

You then want to consider how to use your voice while presenting. In order to come across as confident and clear, keep in mind how frequently you are taking a deep

replenishing breath (see articles directly on how to do this here), and using that breath to project your voice. Also be mindful of how you move your mouth. When the mouth is more closed, it’s harder to enunciate your speech sounds which is necessary for the audience to understand your content. 

For more information on how to develop your presentation skills follow, Best and Worst Presentations 

A lot of my clients express their frustration of spending so much time reading textbooks or research articles over and over because they can’t comprehend or recall what they read. The next time you open up your class reading material, consider the following strategies. 

1. Identify Your Objectives: What is your purpose for reading this content? What are you hoping to learn? 

2. Integrate Old Knowledge: What do you already know about the topic? Better comprehension occurs when readers are actively bridging old and new knowledge together. 

3. Visualize: Using imagery to picture the content you’re reading, especially visualizing structures and diagrams, helps to create a more personal experience 4. Read out loud: Reading out loud can change how we process information and also helps keep us attentive and awake 

4. Use Your Resources: Highlighting and note taking are key strategies to help organize your thoughts and attend to critical information. 

5. Summarize: Engaging with the content by coming up with a summary every couple of paragraphs will help you know what you recall and understand and if you need to re-read a section. This approach is better than waiting until the end of the reading and realizing you didn’t retain anything. 

6. Check Your Understanding: What’s left unknown? How will you find this out? Be intentional about investigating topics you’re unclear about to further your comprehension. 

Starting a new school year can be a big challenge on its own, and on top of that you have the pressures of making new friends and catching up with old ones as well as working with new people on group projects. Introducing yourself to someone new can feel uncomfortable and at times stressful. Consider these three points:

1. Take the initiative: Be bold, set goals for how many new people you want to talk to this week. Know that others likely feel the same way as you 

2. Talk about familiar topics: Finding common ground is a great way to get the flow of the conversation going

3. Be an active listener: Make eye contact, leave room for them to speak, be empathetic, ask questions, avoid interrupting, comment on what was said 

Try using the acronym GIVE in your social circles when disagreements arise. 

G - Gentle: Be gentle, even if you’re mad. Treat the other person with respect

I - Interested: Really listen to what the other person is saying. Be genuine

V - Validate: You may not agree but the other person has values and feelings of importance. Validating others’ feelings/thoughts doesn’t mean you agree with them, it’s simply acknowledging that you hear them 

E - Easy Manner - Maintain a relaxed and positive attitude. Include humor and smile 

The start of the school year can be filled with a multitude of emotions ranging from excitement to fear. Being mindful of how you are communicating is part of the puzzle of making your academic career successful.

To speak with a psychotherapist or one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.