Expressive Communication Center

Strengthen your ability to deliver dynamic public presentations confidently, clearly, and eloquently at the Expressive Communication Center—skills that give you an advantage on the job and throughout your life. 

Need help with your presentation?

We're happy to help. Stop in during drop-in hours, schedule an in-person or virtual meeting, or join in a small group appointments. The ECC offers professional mentoring, practice opportunities, and resources to help you maximize your presentation skills.

Appointments and Drop-In Sessions

Appointments — Virtual, In Person, One-to-One, and Small Group Options:

  • In-person appointments: Arrive at Wallace Library 05-1640 at your scheduled appointment time.
     
  • Virtual individual appointments: To join a virtual appointment, shortly before your appointment time, log in and click on your appointment in the scheduling system, and then select the red 'start or join online consultation' link.
     
  • Small group appointments: In-person small group appointments will take place in Wallace Library 05-1640. Small groups may also schedule virtual appointments. To do this, have one group member make the appointment. On the appointment intake form, they must select the "group" option and provide the emails of the other group members. A Zoom meeting join link will be emailed to the group members.

Drop-In Sessions: 

We recommend that students make appointments, but we do take drop-in appointments on a first-come, first-served basis. Each available drop-in slot opens fifteen minutes before its start and remains open until it fills or the time passes. This allows you to make appointments as you arrive or when you're ready to start your meeting.

*If you require interpreting services, please make interpreting requests through Access Services.

Learn from the Best

Industry workforce reports, university alumni surveys, and academic studies have long stressed the importance of strong communication abilities in order for all college graduates to excel. Research consistently shows that communication apprehension and hesitancy to communicate undermine academic and professional performance. Better communicators are better students: more articulate, more confident students have higher scores on graduate entrance exams, higher GPAs, more positive attitudes toward education, and better college retention rates.

At the ECC, we use a consulting-training model and an engaged active learning approach where students receive training, practice, and get ongoing feedback from expert tutors:

  • Communication faculty and trained tutors who help students prepare and rehearse for presentations and other oral communication activities.
  • Expert communication faculty who work one-on-one with course instructors from all disciplines.

These activities provide real and lasting benefits to students in oral, interpersonal, group, and visual communication competency improvement. 

Meet Our Consultants

The Expressive Communication Center is staffed by undergraduate and graduate students from various majors across RIT. Consultants are trained to work with students from all backgrounds, with some able to assist in languages other than English, including ASL.

Please review the profiles below to identify the consultant best suited to help you as you prepare your presentation.

Myren Bobryk-Ozaki PortraitMyren Bobryk-Ozaki is a third year Communications major. They are the Honors COLA Representative and work with other students and faculty on a daily basis. They can be found doing other leadership and volunteer positions around campus throughout the semester. They are conversational in ASL, can work with interpreters, and are hard of hearing themselves. Myren is particularly skilled at creating and developing the drafts of speeches. Come and make an appointment with Myren for your upcoming project!

Marie Fraser PortraitMarie Fraser is a second year Physician Assistant BS/MS student with a minor in Psychology. She plays on the varsity volleyball team. She likes yoga, card games, and baking. If you want assistance on how to deal with public speaking anxiety, book an appointment with Marie.

Kyle James portraitKyle James is a third-year Game Design and Development major with a minor in Exercise Science and immersion in Communications. He is an Interactive Games and Media (IGM) ambassador and officiates intramural soccer and basketball. In addition, he enjoys going to the gym, playing video games, and traveling. If you need assistance with your speeches, be sure to schedule an appointment with Kyle!

Mikayla MacIntyre portraitMikayla MacIntyre is a second year Applied Statistics and Actuarial Science student with a minor in Communication. She is a member of club Theme Park Enthusiasts and is also a TA for General Biology II. Over the past year, Mikayla has discovered her love of public speaking and is determined to show others that it isn’t something to be scared of. She enjoys helping others create passionate and interesting speeches through positive feedback. To make sure your next speech is the best it can be, book with Mikayla today!

Darrin 'DJ' Majocha portraitDarrin “DJ” Majocha is a fifth-year Communication major with a dual minor in Business Administration and ASL & Deaf Cultural Studies. He is a child of a deaf adult (CODA) and communicates fluently in English and American Sign Language. DJ is a Resident Advisor with the Center for Residence Life on campus. He plays Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competitively and is a video game enthusiast. DJ is a Twitch and Discord moderator for several Twitch streamers and engages their respective communities by facilitating community events, creating fun Twitch commands, and educating users about intercultural cultivation. If you ever need support on your upcoming projects and/or presentations, come see DJ at the ECC!

Ray McDonald PortraitAmasha(RAY) McDonald is a second year Communication major. She is a member of the Student Advisory Board serving as the Communication Representative. As a Freshman she earned the title “Rookie of the Year” in the School of Communication for her outstanding academic achievements. Ray has a natural passion for speaking and writing. She was honored to be asked to share her public speaking class speech at the Martin Luther King Legacy Program last Spring. She is skilled at helping you have a strong and confident delivery, as well as finding and championing your creative and unique voice. With Ray you are bound to get an A!

Jenna Warren PortraitJenna Warren is a second year Communication and Museum Studies double major. She is a student writer for University Communications, and she enjoys reading and playing video games. She has discovered a new enjoyment of public speaking this past year, and if you would like help with any step in your speech or presentation journey, come see Jenna at the ECC!

 

 

For Students

At the Expressive Communication Center, students meet with peer consultants for help with all phases of presentation preparation and delivery, including but not limited to:

So you have to give a speech — now what? Deciding what you want to talk about is the first step. Our peer consultants are trained to help you decide on an idea that you’re passionate about and that will speak to a larger audience. Ultimately, we want to help you find your voice! A presentation is always better when you care what you’re talking about, so we’re here to help narrow down that focus.

Preparing an outline can be a daunting aspect of a presentation, but it’s something we can help you embrace! Our goal is to help you design an outline for any kind of presentation or speech that works best for your speaking style. You’ll likely end up with two different outlines — one for organizing the speech, and the second for delivery purposes. We want to find the method that works best for you!

Oftentimes, it’s helpful to back up what you’re saying with a visual aid — we can help with that! The goal is to create something that supports what you’re talking about without distracting your audience. From the content to the color scheme, our peer consultants will help you create material that strengthens your topic

To some, the delivery is the most exciting step of a presentation, but to others, it's the scariest. No matter your comfort level, we’re here to help. Our peer consultants will look at every aspect of the deliverable: your tone, your speed, your movements, everything! We know that it’s tempting to just “wing” a presentation, but it can be really helpful to practice ahead of time. We provide a judgement-free zone to help you get your point across in the best way possible.

We fully understand how nerve wracking it can be to speak in front of your peers and professors, but we also know how rewarding it can be! We want to work with you through every step of the process. Even if you already have your presentation written, the next step is to make you comfortable speaking. The ultimate goal is to make you confident.

For Faculty

Faculty from any discipline may request customized oral communication support for their courses. If you include speaking assignments in your courses—such as speeches, presentations, group presentations, debates, discussions, and oral exams—the ECC director is available to work with you on devising those assignments and their associated grading.

Faculty can require or recommend that students visit the ECC, either for a specific assignment, or for general support.

Our downloadable guide, "Providing Oral Presentation Support to Students," offers practical guidance for accessing the services of the Expressive Communication Center and supporting students in the development of presentation skills. Download the pdf guide now. >

For questions related to writing the ECC into grants or incorporating the ECC into research, please contact Dr. Kelly Martin.

Resources

Here you will find additional resources for the Expressive Communication Center, such as examples of great communication, getting the most out of your appointment with the ECC, steps in the speechmaking process, and managing speaking anxiety.

Download the pdf guide "Providing Oral Presentation Support to Students" now. >

Testimonials