WCP New Course Alert: Public Speaking for Professionals

Public Speaking for Professionals is a new WCP course being offered this fall. Students will meet Tuesdays, 6-8pm, November 7 - December 12 at our Littleton Campus. Below is a Q&A with instructor, Cherington Reis Boarin. 

Please tell us a bit of your background and why you’re offering this course through WCP?

I have 22 years of experience as a marketer and during this time have worked for 3 Fortune 500 companies: Nike, Under Armour and Arrow Electronics. I am also proud to be on the ACC family as a part time-instructor teaching business-related courses like Digital Marketing, E-commerce, Introduction to Business, Principles of Sales, Diversity in Business and Workplace Skills (very related to this Public Speaking course). I will also offer a Branding course through WCP this spring. I am obsessed with serving consumers via marketing and all the areas around it. Public speaking is a big part of my career and I want to ensure that I can pass along my industry knowledge to the WCP community.

Public speaking is a skill many fear but not everyone uses in their professional life. What are some professions that require good public speaking skills daily?

We can name a few, such as marketing, medical, sales, retail, engineers. What all of them have in common is the real need to communicate every day for different audiences and to ensure your message is clear. Public speaking could be used in school or college, in your personal life with your friends, on your social media posts or even to chat with your family. Proper communication is all about training and in this class you can learn good techniques to master your skills.

Public speaking is considered a soft skill. Why are soft skills essential for all professions these days?

It's all part of the skillset required to be a better professional. Public speaking is probably the most important soft skill. If you can convey the message in a very clear way, you can save time, unnecessary work and even costs for your company.

What are three non-professional ways to use public speaking?

By delivering the message very clearly, you will be proactive, you will be insightful and efficient in all areas of your life. 

We’ve all been impressed by eloquent speakers. What is “it” that they have, and can “it” be learned?

Public speaking can definitely be a gift, but it can also be learned. If you commit and train during this course, you will be able to use all the skills that go into being a "fluent presenter" to speak adequately in front of any size audience.

In 12 hours, people who take this class will be able to present in front of large audiences with more confidence. That’s impressive! Can you tell us how you/they achieve this so quickly?

Focusing on the course, practicing the right skills, in and out of the classes and presenting in front of the class. All of this is part of the course. You will become confident and calm and be able to present in front of any audience using the right techniques.