Oral Workplace Communication (OWC)
About OWC
What distinguishes you from all others and AI will be your soft skills and this includes your words and how you use them. Your words are the spark that ignites ideas that will take off and make the difference in your field. Your ability to marshal your ideas, give critical feedback in meetings and to people, to give pertinent and insightful analysis that shows a razor-sharp brain without an acidic sharp tongue, galvanize a team, lead your company to success, comfort the disappointed and re-ignite their mojo, all this and more comes from your ability to communicate.
So, if you have taken a course in business communication, or you got an A for project work, it does not mean you are fully equipped for oral communication at university or the workplace. The oral communication committee offers targeted and focused workshops in advanced skills.
These workshops are designed to give you personalized hands-on practice and feedback that watching online tutorials cannot give you.
Our workshops are designed to give just enough theory, so you know there is evidence for why the principles and practices work, and maximum practice and coaching time.
From packing a punch with your words yet giving nonjudgmental but constructive feedback, you will take communication from transactional to relational.
Communication is key to showing your sphere your value-add. What you can say and how you say it is what makes you a bright spark!
Workshops
Series Theme (For AY2026/2027)
Generative AI has more bits of knowledge and information than the smartest individual human. A large language model may have more bits than thousands of smart humans put together. In a working world where low level clerical jobs and even entry level graduate jobs are being replaced humans must keep their edge over AI. They must leverage on their human advantage. What do all humans have but no AI can ever have?
Humans have physical bodies! AIs are disembodied machines incapable of making real connections. They only mimic our emotions and have a memory bank of possible experiences. Humans, however, can think, feel, experience, connect and maintain multi-way relationships. We connect with other humans when we use all our senses with our words to connect authentically, empathetically and critically. This is our superpower and our enduring edge over even the smartest AI.
This workshop series encourages participants to integrate thinking, feeling, reflecting and then communicating by involving all their senses. Participants learn to link together what’s on their minds with how to say that with heart, resulting in communication that is authentic, empathetic, yet critical.
Our workshops draw on Embodied Critical Thinking (ECT) practices, engaging participants in guided experiential and hands-on activities that extend critical thinking beyond purely cognitive processes to include instinct, emotion, and lived experience, supporting deeper and more human-centred ways of relating and understanding.
Each in-person workshop focusses on a particular aspect of oral workplace communication and adopts an ECT-informed teaching approach. Participants will engage in authentic workplace scenarios, explore genuine emotional responses, and take part in realistic role-play activities that bridge theory and practice. Participants are welcome to send in anonymised real-life scenarios they have encountered.
OWC x NUSGS Graduate Workshop series
2nd September 2026, 3:00pm - 5:00pm
Pitch with panache: Persuade interdisciplinary audiences of the significance of your research.
Communicating your research effectively to a broad academic audience is an essential skill. Whether you’re interviewing for a position, applying for research funding, or collaborating across disciplines, your ability to explain the significance of your work can have a significant impact on your success.
During the workshop, you will learn how to:
- Analyse your audience and customise a research story that connects with diverse audiences across disciplinary boundaries.
- Use stress and emphasis and vocal delivery techniques to persuade your audience.
- Apply effective non-verbal communication strategies to engage your audience.
What to bring:
All graduate students are welcome to attend. Do wear comfortable clothing and be prepared for an interactive, hands-on learning experience.
Getting to the Venue: CELC Seminar Room 2B
Seminar Room 2B (03-25) is located on Level 3 of the CELC building.
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Workshop Facilitators
Jinat Rehana Begum
Instructor, Centre for English Language Communication
Jinat Rehana Begum currently teaches academic communication to postgraduates for the Centre for English Language Communication (CELC). She has taught communication, language, literature, and pedagogy to learners from diverse age groups and backgrounds. She is particularly interested in non-verbal communication and active listening, and their essential contribution to effective communication in both academic and workplace contexts. elcjrb@nus.edu.sg
Instructor, Centre for English Language Communication
The workshops are open to all NUS students/staff unless specified. Booking availability on a first-come-first-served basis.
For enquiries related to this event, please contact elcbox70@nus.edu.sg.
Ask OWC about:
- The workshop you are interested in.
- Customizing one of the workshops for your residential college or hall - free
- Customizing one of the workshops for your department or organization – chargeable at preferential rates for NUS staff.
- A workshop you would like us to offer in the near future.
- Preferred timings for workshops – we will look for trends in timing.
Getting to the CELC Seminar Room (02-30)
We are located across from the Central Library and AS8, next to Techno-Edge and NUS IT
To reach the CELC Seminar Room (02-30) from the main entrance, enter through the glass doors and continue straight ahead. This will lead you directly to the CELC Seminar Room (02-30).
For those arriving via the car park, proceed to Level 2 using either the lift or the stairs. Upon reaching Level 2, follow the corridor signs to the main lobby of the Centre for English Language Communication (CELC). The CELC Seminar Room (02-30) will be located on your left.