The Forum

What is The Forum?

The Forum is a program that is designed to enhance the speaking skills of first year students. The Forum is anchored by an actual event that will occur every month and will be an opportunity for Barnard students to speak publicly about a chosen set of topics. During the weeks leading up to the actual Forum, participants will plan the event, and work on their skills with the Speaking Fellows with a focus on extemporaneous speech. Interested new students should be prepared to dedicate 2 hours a week to the program. Applications will be available for The Forum program this summer.

Who should apply?

Have you always wanted to become a better public speaker? Are you a great orator already and want to display your talents? Do you want to get involved with the planning of events on campus? If you answered yes to any of these questions, The Forum is perfect for you! We welcome all students who are interested in enhancing their presentation/public speaking skills or just want to practice being more comfortable in front of an audience. Because The Forum is completely student run, there are opportunities for event planning as well.

Program Components

1. Attend a weekly 2-hour session on Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00pm. The sessions will be coordinated by a staff member of Leadership Development and/or a Speaking Fellow.
2. Coordination of the actual Forum event on the 4th Wednesday of the month (5 in total: Oct, Nov, Feb, Mar, and Apr.) 
3. Meet and have discussions with experienced speakers such as student leaders, alumnae, and administrators. 
4. Participate in leadership workshops facilitated by Leadership Development.
5. Participants should expect to commit  2-3 hours a week to the program.