Public speaking strikes fear in the hearts of many. And it's not just making a speech. Individuals can experience anxiety any time they present ideas in front of other people. This dread of being judged by others, looking foolish, being laughed at or making a mistake can be particularly problematic for future academicians. So, 10 PhD students from the School of Social Work, who are planning careers in front of a classroom and delivering research findings to colleagues, took a page out of the School of Theatre's playbook to handle their stage fright.

In a scholarly presentations skills workshop for doctoral students, the School of Social Work and the School of Theater provided a first-of-its-kind forum for learning how to deliver polished presentations with purpose and enthusiasm while overcoming the jitters.

Making convincing scholarly presentations is a core aspect of success in academia, says Ramon Salcido, the social work professor who coordinated the event between both schools, and possessing the right skill set can profoundly impact one's credibility.

"Many of our professors [in the School of Social Work] noticed there was a need for more technological presentation skills that would help our students deliver the best content," Salcido said. "We felt the use of skills from theatre such as voice projection, great delivery and a void of nervousness, would benefit our students tremendously."

School of Theatre senior lecturers Paul Backer, an accomplished actor and voice-over artist, and Joseph Hacker, a veteran actor of TV and film who teaches performance for camera, showed students how to apply the skills of an actor to professional presentations.

"The workshop gets to the bottom of who the students are, what they need, what their individual challenges are, what things drive each and how they plan to achieve their goals," Backer said.

In four 90-minute group sessions and one-on-one coaching, instructors emphasized proper expressions, gestures and movement to enhance delivery; proper techniques to connect with audiences; and how to evaluate the success of the presentation.

"I would rate this class very positively. It broke a few myths I have about speaking in public and shed light on our pursuit of the 'perfect' speech that many times we destroy through our own nervousness," said participant Yawen Li. "I especially liked the vocal practice, which showed me techniques to speak in a pleasant way, and the emphasis on establishing a relationship with the audience through eye contact, which I know will benefit my future presentations."

Salcido has been pleased with students' feedback and enthusiasm to incorporate what they have learned into upcoming conference presentations that many PhD candidates participate in as part of the doctoral educational experience. He said the workshops will be offered again in the future.

"I've really enjoyed the highly experiential approach of the classes and how our students are pushed to take risks in their presentations," Salcido said. "The instructors' philosophies are that everyone becomes nervous when it comes to public speaking – even actors – but they show our students how to channel that nervous energy into positive, dynamic presentations."