With students starting on year-long papers and presentations, courses can seem unbearable. Still, the Communication Lab, formerly known as the Writing and Speaking Center, has served as an easily accessible resource to ease some of the academic stress that comes with being a student.
The Communication Lab provides one-on-one feedback on any writing, speaking, or visual project at any stage of the creative process. Consultants, also called peer educators, consist of undergraduate or graduate students who are trained with hands-on experience and can help identify how to finetune an upcoming speech or presentation, work on grammar or sentence structure, or transform a rough draft into a quality final draft and more regarding written and oral communication.
The Communication Lab is on the third floor of the Moore Humanities and Research Administration (MHRA) building in Room 3211 and offers services to UNCG students, faculty, staff, and even alumni.
Writing lab hours are:
- Monday – Thursday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Friday from 9 a.m. – Noon
- Sunday online only from 3 – 8 p.m.
Appointments are available now on Tracloud for individual or group sessions. You can prepare for a visit to the Communication Lab by bringing feedback you received on a project, access to your draft, and by knowing expectations for a particular assignment or what you want to work on ahead of time.
Writers deserve good readers
“The writing center has helped act as a filter between my thoughts and my writing, helping me figure out how to take the complex arguments in my head and shape those into an actual, clear, concise, and articulate argument.”
Ethan Divon, Writing Center Peer Consultant
“The speaking center employs a unique approach that revolves around putting the speaker at the center of the entire process. This approach involves asking open-ended questions that are designed to stimulate the speaker’s thought process and encourage them to generate new ideas and insights. “
Bosola Banjo, Speaking Center Peer Consultant
Jennifer Whitaker, director of the Communication Lab’s writing center, says, “Every writer deserves a good reader, and that’s why we exist.” Spartans can meet with consultants to review written communication of their choice, including writing outside of academic courses like a journal article or a scholarship essay.
“The Communication Lab is a conversational space to try out new ideas so that writers feel prepared to go back and revise or start over and write from scratch,” Whitaker explains.
Sessions between writers and their consultants can last up to 45 minutes. During a session, consultants will strategize with writers about their main concerns. Those may be citations, formatting, or editing-related. It is the writers, with the support of consultants, who set their own goals for their writing process.
Speaking your way to success
“We strive to meet students at their current level of progress. We do not expect them to have anything prepared or completed before they come to us for assistance. Our goal is to provide support and guidance in speechmaking, no matter where the student is.”
Cohan Counsil, Speaking Center Peer Consultant
“Often, students attend the Speaking Center as a requirement for public speaking assignments from their professors. However, we offer additional consultations including speech practices and conversations.”
Jaela Agee, Speaking Center Peer Consultant
The Communication Lab supports students enrolled in Minerva’s Academic Curriculum (MAC) oral competency courses but is available to anyone with a public speaking, group leadership, or personal need. Speakers may drop by in person or schedule an online session for areas in public speaking delivery, interpersonal communication, and group or team communication.
Speaking lab hours are:
- Monday – Thursday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Friday from 9 a.m. – Noon
- Sunday from 4 – 8 p.m.
Within the first few minutes of a session, consultants check in with student speakers to determine where they are in their speech-making process. Together, they’ll go over introductions and conclusions, verbal fillers, and other strategies that help them manage any anxiety over speaking.
Erin Harrison, director of the Communication Lab’s speaking center, says, “Public speaking is not going to end after one speech. This is only the beginning of what’s to come.”
Students can pre-record their speech and request a video review session. The lab will never write a paper or speech for the student, but instead provide guidance on developing their own verbal and non-verbal expressions, encouraging an increase in students’ confidence that prepares them for the next big project.
Whether it be writer’s block, stress from public speaking, or other health-related problems, there are programs available for every Spartan at UNCG.
Story by Lauren Segers, University Communications
Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
