We all know our C5 students are “impressive”, but how good are they at making first impressions? For seven of them, a cut above most, now that they’ve participated in Speakeasy’s eight-hour “Making Your First Impression Count” class, an experience designed to boost self-awareness and communication skills.

On February 18, Speakeasy—a communication development company dedicated helping people connect with audiences—hosted a handful of our students for an eight hour class in communication designed to give participants an honest assessment of their communication strengths and weaknesses and explore ways to enhance their comfort and effectiveness.  Students were videotaped and coached to look and feel more in charge of crucial speaking situations, including college or job interviews, community service and student or community leadership.

Through this exercise, Speakeasy hopes that each student will gain:

• A deeper understanding of how they are perceived by others
• An awareness of the fundamentals required to create a positive impression
• An introduction to their personal style of delivery
• Basic tools to feel more relaxed and in-charge when speaking
• An awareness of the importance of effective communication
• A framework to support and encourage ongoing communication development

“Speakeasy believes strongly in giving back to the community through the gift of enabling young adults the ability to communicate more effectively,” says company representative Alexandra Weiss. “Our partnership with C5 provides a perfect opportunity for us to make a difference in this regard.”

Many of our students felt it was one of the best classes they had ever taken.  As Deaunte Whitehead put it, “I thought I was a good speaker before.  Speakeasy helped be aware of the basic skills I need to practice to become a great speaker.”