Public Speaking Certificate Program

The Public Speaking Certificate Program is designed to help MIT graduate students and postdocs become confident, effective, and versatile speakers in a wide range of professional and academic situations. Through workshops, personalized coaching, hands-on practice, and performance-based feedback, this program guides students in developing their oral communication skills in public settings.

Who Can Apply

MIT graduate students and postdocs from all schools and disciplines are welcome. We will accept 20 students/ scholars per cohort, selected based on their need and commitment to this program.

To apply to this program, you need to:

Step 1: Submit a short application form with you academic info and a 250-word response explaining why you are interested in completing this certificate and what skills you hope to gain/improve during the program (Deadline: Monday, Sep 29th, 11pm)

Step 2: Submit a 3-Minute Video on a concept or topic from your research. Check these instructions for creating your video. Your video presentation should be geared towards an intelligent but non-specialist audience who are not familiar with your topic. You will receive constructive feedback for your video by mid-October. (Deadline: Monday, Sep 29th, 11pm)

Step 3: Submit a brief self-assessment survey where you reflect on your public speaking experiences and skills. This survey takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. (Deadline: Monday, Sep 29th, 11pm)

Program Requirements

To complete the certificate, you must:

Attend Six Core Public Speaking Sessions: interactive workshops that cover storytelling, structure, delivery, audience engagement, and managing nerves.
Participate in Two Communication Clinics (out of 9 available): small 4-6 people sessions, where you reflect on the workshop material, practice presenting to peers, and ask questions.
Complete One Practice Session in the Oral Communication Studio: self-guide studio where you can practice, record yourself and receive real-time feedback on content, body language and delivery.
Schedule One Individual Coaching Session: one-on-one sessions with WCC Lecturers to receive personalized feedback and guidance tailored to your speaking goals.
Submit a Final Video Presentation: a final 3–5 minute video presentation similar to the application video where you explain a research concept and demonstrate what you learned during the program.
Fill out a Written Self-Reflection: an exit survey where you will reflect on your growth throughout the program.

Please note: This program requires 25+ hours of commitment to build the skills and receive the certificate.

The Benefits of Participating in This Program

Practical strategies for academic and professional presentations.
Personalized coaching and feedback.
A polished 3-minute video can be used for completing in the MIT Research Slam or job portfolios.
A certificate of completion and a formal letter outlining the program’s goals, structure, and your accomplishments, which can be added to your CV/Resumer, Personal Webpage or Linked In accounts.

“Going into the program, I only thought of managing nervousness and anxiety of public speaking, but I’m coming out of it with lots of techniques and tips to manage nervousness AND more skills on storytelling than I expected.”
Participant, Summer 2025

Key Dates (Sep-Dec 2025)

Application is open through Mon, Sep 29th (NOTE: Participants will be accepted if they submit the video and their self-reflection survey).
Intro Video & Reflection: Monday, Sep 29th
Program Important Dates:
- Six mandatory workshops: Oct 9, 16, 23, 30, Nov 6, 13, 4-5:30pm, E17-136
- Two 90-minute clinics (out of 9 available: Mondays, Oct 20, 27, or Nov 3 (3:30-5pm); Tuesdays, Oct 21, 28, or Nov 4 (4-5:30pm); Wednesdays, Oct 22, 29, or Nov 5 (10-11:30am).
- Oral communication practice sessions in the studio (any workday in October-November, M-F, 9-5pm)
- Coaching sessions with Writing Center Lecturers (any workday in October-November, M-F, 9-6pm))
Final Video Submission: by Friday, November 21st
Written Self-Reflection: by Monday, November 24th

Apply here

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1: How many hours will I need to commit to the program?

We estimate 25 hours, which includes the scheduled sessions and an estimate of 5 hours for the preparation of each 3-minute video.

Q2: How many program components can I miss and still earn a certificate? Are workshops recorded for viewing later?

Earning the certificate requires that you complete all the components described in this presentation. In other words, you can’t miss any of them. The workshops are not recorded, so they cannot be viewed afterward.

Q 3: Why the 3-minute video?

Think of it as analogous to an elevator pitch. It’s a succinct, focused, and meaningful presentation of something you’re an expert on. It gives you a chance to distill your explanations and reason through choices like narrative and diction. It also serves as a touchstone throughout the program. You will use the 3-minute presentations as a ready-to-go examples to practice your skills.

Q4: I suffer from stage fright. Will the program help me overcome it?

Yes! Participants overwhelmingly reported that the program helped them find strategies to reduce (or work with) their nervousness and that the clinics and other practice opportunities greatly increased their confidence when speaking in front of others.

Q5: Can I use the studio without training?

We ask that you schedule a brief orientation session with one of our grad fellows before you begin practicing with the studio to make sure you are familiar with the settings and able to access all the resources.

Q6: Could I use the program to practice my job talk?

No – a job talk is far longer than we are able to accommodate in clinics or review in videos; they are also typically pitched at disciplinary experts, whereas our cohort will be largely interdisciplinary. But! We will teach you lots of transferable skills, and we would be happy to help you plan or practice your job talk in the 1:1 consultations!

Q7: Can I attend the workshops without pursuing a certificate?

No. While many of the WCC workshops are stand-alone, this program is carefully built to build + develop on recursive content. Moreover, we are building a learning community that requires a certain amount of vulnerability and trust (public speaking is scary!), so having a consistent group of participants and expectations is important.

Q8: Can I list the certificate on my CV, LinkedIn, etc?

Yes! We hope you will! When we send your certificate, we will include a document with suggestions about how to include this credential professional materials.

Q9: I’m interested in the program but don’t have time this semester. Will it run again in the near future?

We hope so, but this is contingent upon us receiving the funding/support to do so, so we cannot guarantee this offering in the future.

“My growth as a communicator has been a process of shifting from simply presenting information to guiding an audience’s experience.”
(Participant, Summer 2025)

Contact

For questions or more information, please contact writing-center@mit.edu.