When I joined my Health Science master’s program in August of 2024, it quickly became apparent to me that I had entered an academic environment quite unlike anything I had experienced before — and not simply because of the increase in rigor. Rather, I was caught off guard by the expectation that we as students were to become the leaders and the teachers in the classroom. And one fundamental skill that we were expected to aptly exercise in this process was none other than public speaking.

Just saying the words “public speaking” to students can incite severe anxiety. One might be interested to know that the fear of public speaking—known officially in psychology as glossophobia—affects up to 40 percent of individuals and is ranked as the number one phobia in the world. It has outranked heights, small spaces, snakes, spiders, and even death itself!

This becomes incredibly problematic when graduate education and the workforce require individuals to communicate with one another, with experts, and with the lay public in different settings and often regardless of field. Scientists and doctors must present findings at research conferences, lawyers must defend clients, and businessmen must market products. Even in a more stereotypically introverted field like computer science, professionals give technical conference talks and product demos.

And of course, one cannot forget the anxiety-inducing thesis and dissertation defense presentations that students must give before they can officially receive their graduate diplomas.

It seems many individuals assume that public speaking is one of those skills you either have or you don’t—that a lucky few are simply born to command a room, while the rest of us are forever doomed to dread presentations weeks in advance, cataloguing every possible excuse to avoid the podium.

At the beginning of my master’s program, I too was a member of the “forever doomed” camp. Though I had taken the required undergraduate public speaking class and given several speeches in various other courses—including giving a 30-minute presentation at our university’s Interdisciplinary Research Conference on my undergraduate Senior Thesis research—I still did not consider myself a very good public speaker. I spoke too quickly with a shaky voice as my adrenaline took over my body, and regardless of how many times I practiced beforehand, I still stumbled over my words.

And don’t get me started on the dreaded question and answer section!

When I reached my 6000-level master’s classes, I was required to give multiple presentations each semester, several semesters in a row, presentations that totaled anywhere from one-fourth to one-half of my final grade. One would think this would have only deepened my anxiety. Instead, something about these classes began to change me as a public speaker. For the first time, I was actually taught how to present. Our work was scrutinized down to the finest detail, not harshly, but deliberately, in a way that genuinely made a difference.

We learned PowerPoint design, from the use of white space to font size to selecting the clearest images. We were weaned off scripts and pushed toward teaching the crowd. We were taught how to handle various types of audience questions. Most importantly, we practiced over and over again across several consecutive semesters.

Suddenly, the presentations started to get easier and easier, until several of my classmates and I pulled off flawless or near-flawless presentations that left the classroom in awe.

And then it clicked. Public speakers are not born; they are made.

In the American higher education sector, public speaking, unlike English composition, is not a universal graduation requirement. Even at colleges and universities that include public speaking in their core requirements, a student’s exposure to oral communication across his or her educational career is significantly lower than his or her exposure to written communication.

It is no wonder so many people believe public speaking is a talent you are simply born with or without. They have never been given a real chance to refine it and discover that the ground is there for everyone.

Young adults should not have to wait until graduate school or the workforce before they learn the ins and outs of successful public speaking. Teaching the art of oral communication needs to be better supported at the undergraduate level.

Universities can address this gap in several actionable ways. At an institutional level, structured oral communication opportunities can be developed through investing in campus-wide workshops, integrating presentation-heavy assignments across majors, and promoting organizations such as Toastmasters that provide consistent, low-stakes public speaking practice.

Furthermore, all students, regardless of major, should be encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities such as mock trials, debate clubs, and public speaking organizations, which offer continuous oral communication exposure in a supportive, student-centered environment.

Finally, instructors should consider changing their approach to evaluating oral presentations by offering positive feedback that can improve presentation skills rather than treating such assignments as checklists. Students would greatly benefit from detailed advice on delivery, slide design, and audience engagement in an environment where mistakes are natural to the learning process rather than being high stakes.

Ultimately, students need constructive criticism and consistent practice in front of an audience to cross the threshold from “forever doomed” to confident presenter, much like combining a personal trainer’s coaching with consistent gym time. With more widespread oral communication training, colleges and universities will better prepare students for their careers and give them the keys to leadership success.

See more by Hannah Hutchins on Muck Rack.