Co-founders Bartels and Ostidiek share thoughts on Presenter Center’s feedback program

 

The University Writing Center, a popular resource for students seeking assistance with papers, now offers similar guidance for presentational projects.

The Writing Center’s accessibility to writers at any level makes it attractive and popular.  Professors not only encourage students to take advantage of it, but also commend them for taking initiative in seeking advice—even subsequently grading their papers with a more favorable outlook.  If such helpful opportunities exist for writing, why should there not be a similar outlet for presentations?

Abigail Bartels [Editor’s note: Abigail Bartels is Culture and Thought Editor of the Rover] and Joel Ostdiek asked themselves that exact question and the answer came when they co-founded the Presenter Center.

Students may visit the Presenter Center, located on the first floor of DeBartolo Hall, to receive free, individualized feedback on their presentations in 45-minute sessions with one tutor.  According to the Week@ND email, tutoring applies to all types of presentations, “from CSEMS to conferences and from toasts to TED talks.”

Bartels, a junior from Badin Hall, described to the Rover her motivations for starting the project:  “The Presenter Center began when Joel and I began discussing the value of the methods and techniques we use as tutors at the Writing Center.  We realized that we saw a need at Notre Dame for similar resources to be available to students and faculty who were speaking as well as writing.”

Ostdiek, a junior in O’Neill Hall, said that his interest in public speaking helped spur him to co-found the Presenter Center.  “I’ve always been fascinated by what makes a presentation work.  I did speech competitions in high school, so I got a lot of practice with public speaking,” he told the Rover.

He also said that he has noticed how often students must construct projects that involve public speaking, “and those presentations are expected to be at a high level … I didn’t see much formal support on campus to help students prepare for those presentations.  It was a basic supply and demand mismatch.”

The feasibility of initiating the project also helped motivate the co-founders.  “I recognized that the Writing Center has the staffing infrastructure necessary for a service like the Presenter Center,” Ostdiek added.  “Our director, Dr. [Matthew] Capdevielle, leads an excellent training course, and all of the tutors have great pedagogical tools.”

Ostdiek noted how practicing and receiving feedback for a presentation have helped him in his own academic career:  “Any time I’ve had something to present, I’ve always found that it helps just to ‘put it up on its feet’ before the real deal.”

Following the example of the Writing Center as a whole, the Presenter Center offers assistance for presenters of all levels on campus.  Ostdiek encouraged students to visit at any time, stating, “No one should think [he or she needs] to be at a certain stage in the preparation process before coming in for a tutoring session—our tutors love to work on anything from brainstorming topic ideas all the way to polishing gestures.”

Excited about the potential of the Presenter Center in its inaugural semester, Bartels also shared with the Rover her ideas for future improvements.  “The Center is working to provide individuals and groups with a chance to practice their presentations in front of a live audience,” she noted, “and to receive helpful feedback from that audience in a format similar to a Writing Center session.”

Ostdiek hopes the Presenter Center will grow and have an increasingly positive effect on students’ public speaking skills.  He emphasized the value of these skills, and not just for academic purposes:  “Whether we like it or not, a lot hinges on our ability to present.  Right now it might be a grade from a professor, but soon the stakes will be higher as students enter their professional lives.  I would love for to students prepare themselves for those situations by utilizing the Presenter Center—even if it just to gain some confidence or get out some jitters about public speaking.  These are skills that are useful no matter the context.”

Sophia Buono is a freshman majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies.  She enjoys coming home to the milder weather of Arlington, Virginia, and she hopes to bring back a bit of spring upon her return to campus.  Contact Sophia at sbuono@nd.edu.