The OCCurences

Fall 2016 Edition

Lets give a warm welcome to
our new assistant director in the
OCC: Chris Volker!
Check us out on social media!
Twitter: @UMD_OCC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
OralCommunicationCenter
Website: http://umdocc.wix.com/blog

The OCCs executive board: Rowie Kirby-Straker, Frank

Peng and Shivana Dinally posing for a PR opportunity (Not
pictured: Chris Volker and Rebecca Fan).
Photo by Facebook-OCC

Working as a team
Group projects. Many hate just hearing the word as soon
as it is uttered out of a professors mouth. In COMM107,
group presentations are introduced close to the middle
of the semester and one group project is standard in the
required introductory communication course at UMD.

Many students dread working in groups because
of the fear of lack of group member participation and
tedious meetings; however, the group presentation is
designed to help students work in a professional setting.
After graduation, students will frequently experience
group work with colleagues and must have the ability to
present the material in a professional manner, thus the
group presentation requirement.

A few tips for working in groups from the
Oral Communication Center include; practicing the
presentation together before presenting, communicating
with the group frequently, alternating between each
group member while presenting and visiting the OCC to
get some pointers before the big day!
To schedule an appointment with the OCC, go to
mywconline.net. For more tips on how to work in groups
and presentations, visit the OCCs blog at
umdocc.wix.com/blog

Table of Contents
COMM398C Update.....................2
Photos from the OCC...................2
Peer Consultant Spotlight.........3
Past Workshop Experiences....3
Speech Tips.....................................4
How to sign up for the OCC......4

The OCCurences
Latest Photos

Peer consultants working together on a

project
Photo by Rowie Kirby-Straker

A silly group shot of the Spring 2016 peer

consultants
Photo by Rowie Kirby-Straker

Raising the class bar

Located on the second floor, room 2117
is a room that is full of creativity, brainstorming,
and passion. The Oral Communication Center is
designed to help University of Maryland students
with their communication skills. The center
provides appointments for public speaking
consultations, workshops on a variety of topics,
and upper level communication credits for
students.

The upper level communication classes,
COMM389C and COMM388 are two classes that
Dr. Rowie Kirby-Straker teaches to students that
excel in oral communication skills. The first class
COMM398C teaches students how to become
peer consultants while working with clients. The
second class COMM388 allows past COMM398C
students to continue working with clients on their
presentation skills.

COMM388 student, Samantha Stull, a junior
communication major, has really enjoyed working
with the OCC.
It is a really rewarding experience. The skills I
have learned from the OCC will help me not only in
my academic career but in my professional career
as well, said Stull.
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Stull has recently submitted her research paper

from the COMM398C to a conference that she
attended in April of 2016.
I am super excited about this opportunity. The
paper is something I am super passionate about
and I am very excited for networking skills that will
stem from this conference. said Stull.

The spring 2016 OCC team enjoying the weather last spring
Photo by Rowie Kirby-Straker

The classes that Dr. Kirby-Straker provides
go beyond just a upper level communication
class. These courses teach students the rewarding
experience of giving back to the community and
using their own talents to thrive in the academic
and professional worlds.

Fall 2016 Edition

Peer Consultant Spotlight

Samantha Stull- Consultant

Junior, Communication
and Art History Majors

Favorite Movie: The Hobbit

Favorite Book: Lord of the
Rings
Favorite Food: Pad Thai
Favorite Quote:
Will you follow me one last Samantha Stull posing for a
time. -The Hobbit
head shot
Photo by Facebook
Favorite experience as
a UMD consultant: I enjoy seeing my OCC clients come
in with a problem and tackling it head on is such an
awesome feeling, especially when they leave feeling
more excited and prepared for their speeches!

Mary Ellen Tokar- Consultant

Freshman, Undecided

Im Mary Ellen Tokar! Im a freshman with a very

busy life; I have a twin sister on campus too, and
we enjoy playing racquetball together almost every
other day. Im obsessed with pizza Lunchables (oops)
and Gossip Girl (classic). Im actually a published
author (woohoo!), and I love slamming poetry. Im
also a Spotify nerd; Im always adding to playlists and
showing them off to people (music elitist). Check me
out on Spotify for some bangin music and articles!!

Hey everyone! My name is Samantha, Im a junior with a

passion for art history and aimlessly wandering around
museums in D.C. with Krispy Kreme in one hand and my
camera in the other! If Im not in school, chances are Im
working on a philanthropy event or planning my next
Mary Ellen flashing a smile
scuba diving trip!
Photo by Facebook

The future is key

In addition to daily
appointments and classes, the
Oral Communication Center is
much more than what the UMD
community assumes. The OCC
offers a variety of workshops
throughout the semester that are
open to any student attending
UMD.

In the spring of 2016,
the OCC held one of their many
workshops called Informational
Interviewing held by Karen Lamb.
The workshop dived into the skills

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Hobby: Writing
Favorite Season: Fall
Favorite Quote:
Its okay to be sad, but its
more important to be happy.
Favorite experience as a
UMD consultant: Receiving
an email from a client
thanking me for helping
them. They got a 100 percent!

Tip of the month: When giving a

presentation, look down and place your
feet. Pretend there is cement over them
and you cannot move, this will help with
posture!

that college students are expected

to have after graduation and which
skills college students actually have.

Professor Lamb engaged her
audience with interactive activities.
The students participated in an
interactive activity by asking each
other interview questions to see how
each would answer.

The OCC rewarded each
student with an extra credit slip, the
ability to provide feedback on the
workshop and a recording of the
workshop. The OCC also offered the

following workshops throughout

the spring semester; American
English, Voice and Diction, Science
Communication, Interacting with
the Media 101, Speaking Anxiety,
Persuasive Bootcamps, Humor in
Presentations and more.

A member of the
communication department
instructs each workshop. To look
into the workshops being held this
upcoming fall semester, visit the
OCC website at
umdocc.wix.com/blog
3

The OCCurences
How to schedule an appointment with the OCC
Step 1: Visit umd.mywconline.net and
register for an account with the OCC

Step 2: Fill out all the

necessary information to
create an account

Step 4: Choose an appointment time

that works best for you

Infographic by Kristina Engert

Tips to overcome speech anxiety

Step 3: Log in with your

information

Ever have that dream of standing naked in front of a large audience while giving a speech? Or maybe not
that exact dream, but a variation of it? Public speaking is a common fear and most people dread getting
in front of an audience to speak. However, employers rank public speaking as one of the most desired
skills of their future employees. Therefore, how is it possible to cope with the nerves?
1. Take a deep breath- Getting oxygen to the brain is crucial. Using breathing techniques can help slow
down the heartbeat and help put this speech into perspective.
2. Get a good nights sleep- Public speaking requires a lot of concentration, and with a lack of sleep;
memory skills and grades are at risk. Hit the hay early the night before!
3. Eat breakfast- Now, this one may seem a little strange. However, eating
breakfast in the morning stimulates the brain and will get those good
thoughts flowing!
4. Practice, practice, practice- The more comfortable the presenter is
with the material, the more confident they will be! Just be careful not
to over practice. There is such a thing and mistakes start to occur more
frequently when it happens.
5. Get to class a few minutes early- Standing in front of the class for a
few minutes will help with visualization. This makes presenting in front of
the class less intimidating after already visualizing it.
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