Communication Across the Curriculum
Student Voices
This page is a place for you and your peers to learn about experiences with
speaking intensive courses.
CST 105
"This class has made me more confident in speaking not just in front of a class but to almost anyone."
"I liked receiving constructive criticism from the audience members. It gave me something to improve on and in some ways relaxed me because it gave me a diversion during my speeches."
"Before this class I had given up on the idea of becoming a good public
speaker, and just assumed that it was a skill that you either had or didn't.
After discovering that I was not alone, I found that I had more desire to overcome
my public speaking flaws."
ENG 102
" My English class last year was nothing like this. All we did was write
four papers, and that was it. We didn’t have class discussions. We didn’t
interact socially at all. Honestly, my whole life, I have been very shy and
quiet, and I hardly ever voiced my own opinion, especially not in any of my
classes. This year, in this class, was the first time I ever…opened my
mouth, and it felt good."
" The first day, when I heard that it was a speaking intensive class, all expectations and raised emotions dropped. I hate speaking in front of audiences, and to make matters worse, there were my peers that were going to be evaluating my abilities as a speaker. The very thought of this made my palms sweat. My plan was to drop this class and register with another teacher whose class did not revolve around public speaking…I am very pleased that I made the decision to follow through with this class."
" The last time I had spoken in front of a class was my senior year of high school during a debate where I freaked out. But you showed us different ways to clam ourselves down when nervous, and being randomly picked to speak really helped in my nervousness. I realized that speaking to my peers isn’t so difficult, I just need to relax; they aren’t going to think any less of my by what I say."
" I thought this class was a real learning experience. I was hesitant about taking a speaking intensive course, but now I am glad that I did. Throughout the semester I dreaded getting up in front of the class and presenting, but once it was all over I felt good about my presentations. I learned a lot about myself and how to improve my speaking skills."
" Another thing I liked about this class was the sense of community I felt with some of the people in the class. They were complete strangers, yet I felt comfortable talking about some things I could never image telling to a complete stranger. We all knew each other’s names probably half-way though the semester, which is a totally rare thing for a class over 20 students. The speaking intensity of the course helped us remember who was who from seeing them in front of the class so many times. I can’t say how vital the speaking-intensive course will be to EVERY field at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It should be a prerequisite for every type of study done here at this university."
" I enjoyed having a speaking intensive English class. I have taken many
writing intensive classes and I think that speaking intensive is more practical
and a lot more fun. I have felt comfortable speaking in class all year and felt
comfortable speaking in front of my classmates because we all had to do it."