Voice and Communication Training Program Improves Performance of University Students in Oral Presentations

Area of Science:

• Higher Education Pedagogy
• Communication Studies
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Effective oral presentations are crucial for academic and professional success in higher education.
• Students often face challenges in verbal and non-verbal communication during presentations.
• Targeted training can address these challenges and improve public speaking efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a comprehensive voice and communication training program on university students' oral presentation abilities.
• To assess improvements in both subjective self-assessment and objective expert evaluation of presentations.

Main Methods:

• A training program integrating social skills, voice projection, and neurolinguistic programming was implemented.
• Thirty-eight higher education students participated using active learning methodologies.
• Oral presentations were recorded and evaluated by peers and a panel of experts before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated significant improvements across all evaluated aspects of oral presentations.
• Enhancements were noted in verbal and para-verbal communication, audience engagement, and emotional control.
• Objective measures showed better planning, content delivery, organization, and overall presentation quality.

Conclusions:

• The developed voice and communication training program is effective in enhancing university students' oral presentation performance.
• The findings support the integration of such programs to bolster essential communication skills in higher education.