What Is the Speaking Center at UVA?
The Speaking Center is recently re-established resource for UVA students to practice and develop their public speaking skills. From class presentations to speech anxiety, the Speaking Center helps students feel more comfortable and confident when communicating.
What Does the Speaking Center Do?
The Speaking Center offers 30 minute consultations for all UVA students. Our student-consultants assist with all stages of the presentation process: brainstorming, drafting, revision, argument structure, editing, and other concerns.
Is There Anything the Speaking Center Does NOT Do?
The Speaking Center cannot edit or proofread your content, but consultants can assist students with their presentations and provide them with insights for how to tackle speech anxiety.
Who Can Use the Undergraduate Public Speaking Center at UVA?
The resource is available for use by all current University of Virginia students, regardless of year, school, or major.
Are Consultation Sessions in-Person or Online?
This semester, the Speaking Center is offering both in-person and online consulting sessions. By default, you will receive our consultant's personal zoom link. However, if you would rather meet in person, send them an email and you can arrange that with them.
What are the hours for the Speaking Center?
The Speaking Center is open all day Monday-Thursday each week. You can find our student consultant schedules on the "Team" tab. If none of those hours work for you, email SpeakingCenteratUVA@gmail.com, and we can arrange a better time to work with our student-consultants!
How Do I Schedule an Appointment?
Students can reserve 30 minute appointments through the Speaking Center's Calendly through clicking the Book Now button on the top right corner of this page. There, students can book a session which fits within their schedule. You must reserve your appointment 24 hours in advance.
How Do I Connect with my Student-Consultant?
After reserving your appointment through the Speaking Center's Calendly, they will receive the booking and meet you at your desired time. You can also email them if you have any questions regarding your appointment.
Our team receives expert training from two distinguished UVA professors with extensive experience in speech content and delivery.
Professor Cady Garey
Professor Mary Kate Cary
Cady Garey is a faculty member in the Department of Drama, where she teaches How Theatre Works, Speaking in Public and Acting classes. Cady has been a professional actor for 30+ years and credits her actor training as fundamental to her skill as a speaker coach and a teacher of speaking in public. She seeks to help people find authenticity and comfort on stage, as well as learn how to craft engaging presentations and effective workplace communication.
Mary Kate Cary is an adjunct instructor in the University of Virginia’s Politics Department, where she teaches “Political Speechwriting” and “Democracy Out Loud,” courses that explore the art of persuasive communication and the greatest speeches in American history. A former White House speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush, she has crafted speeches for leaders in politics, business, and the nonprofit sector for over three decades. Mary Kate brings extensive expertise in speechwriting and public speaking to her role, helping students refine their communication skills. She also serves as the director of Think Again @ UVA, an initiative promoting free speech, viewpoint diversity, and critical thinking.
"The Center provides students with an incredible opportunity: to build and evolve a strong foundation of effective and powerful verbal communication." - Faculty Advisor, Cady Garey
Book Now!"I hope the Speaking Center continues to serve as an accessible resource for students to mitigate speech anxiety and improve their communication skills. All students need the ability to effectively advocate for themselves and others. We established the Speaking Center to lift up and support their voices."
- Chris Obolensky, Founder, UVA Class of 2022
Our founder, Chris Obolensky, started the Speaking Center in 2020. While preparing for a class presentation, he recognized that there were limited opportunities at the University of Virginia for students to practice and improve their public speaking skills. This led him to develop the Speaking Center. He recruited a team of talented students from public speaking organizations across grounds and worked with Professor Cady Garey to train them to serve as student consultants. Through the speaking center, University of Virginia students now have a resource to help students improve their public speaking skills while working to mitigate some of the stress and anxiety that stems from speaking in public. Chris Obolensky graduated in 2022 majoring in Government and minoring in social entrepreneurship. Following graduation, He served in the Teach For America program teaching high school English and History for two years at KIPP Lab High School in Newark, New Jersey. He is headed to law school next fall.
