Ball State Speaking Center Helps Campus Community Build Speaking Skills

Woman speaking with her hands to a woman on a laptop

Student speech coach Paige Gregory, ’25, listens as Carissa Dawson practices, offering real-time guidance and feedback at Ball State’s new Speaking Center, which helps students, faculty, and staff clarify messages, strengthen delivery, and build confidence.

Ball State’s Speaking Center offers one-on-one coaching, classroom workshops, and VR practice tools to help students, faculty, and staff strengthen public speaking and presentation skills.

After years of quiet development, Ball State University has officially launched The Speaking Center, a campus-wide resource designed to help students, faculty, and staff strengthen their public speaking and presentation skills.

Housed within the Department of Communication Studies in the College of Communication, Information, and Media, the center was initially designed to support students enrolled in COMM 210, a University Core Curriculum course. Now, the center invites students and employees alike to schedule individualized coaching appointments to prepare for class presentations, interviews, conference talks, or public speaking engagements.

“Public speaking is something everyone encounters—whether it’s in a classroom, a meeting, or a conference,” said Spencer Coile, MA ’17, director of The Speaking Center. “We wanted to create a supportive space where anyone at Ball State can practice, get feedback, and gain confidence.”

The center is staffed by up to six communication studies graduate students. They serve as coaches from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday. In addition to one-on-one coaching, the center offers classroom workshops for faculty who want to help students in their classes build stronger presentation skills.

“We’ll go to classes across campus—from English to environmental science—to teach strategies tailored to their specific assignments,” said Hayden Adams, ’25, assistant director of The Speaking Center and graduate assistant. “It’s about giving students tools to speak with confidence in any discipline.”

A highlight of the center is the introduction of virtual reality (VR) coaching powered by Ovation software. Students can choose the size and type of audience, upload slides, and practice with real-time analytics on pacing, use of filler words, and delivery.

“It’s fascinating software,” Mr. Adams said. “The AI even generates audience questions based on your speech content. It’s like a flight simulator for public speaking.”

Students are already enjoying the benefits. Charlotte Jons, a member of Ball State’s competitive speech team, shared how the center has supported her growth and development. The program has a long record of success at the state and national levels, including 15 consecutive team championships at the Indiana Forensic Association (IFA) State Tournament.

“The Speaking Center excels at both preparation and delivery coaching,” Ms. Jons said. “I love bouncing ideas off my coach and getting feedback before I present. It’s an awesome resource that everyone should take advantage of.”

Staff members also praise the center’s supportive approach. In her role as administrative coordinator in the communication studies department, Christine Sprunger is typically behind the scenes. Still, when offered the opportunity to speak on camera about her department, she jumped at the chance.

However, doing something so outside her comfort zone was intimidating and made her feel anxious, so she sought help.

“I was relieved to learn that The Speaking Center is now a resource that staff can also use for one-on-one coaching,” Ms. Sprunger said. “My coach, Alex Rapp, was very encouraging and empathetically addressed my insecurities, while also offering feedback that gave me focus and helped me gain confidence. I felt considerably better after my session and knew how to prepare.”