Positive Public Speaking Workshop

About This Event

Positive Public Speaking: Confidence & Skill Building

Turn nervous energy into confident, compelling speaking! Whether you’re leading a meeting, pitching an idea, or representing your organization in the community, confident communication is a defining professional skill. This interactive workshop helps you transform anxiety into authentic energy, clarify your message, and practice delivery techniques that build trust and credibility. 

This session is designed to help you reframe fear as fuel and manage the physical responses that come with speaking in public. You will learn simple tools to craft clear, story-based messages that resonate with any audience in a supportive, positive environment. Strengthen your presence and align your message with your professional identity and your organization’s goals. You’ll leave with practical strategies you can use immediately in staff meetings, client conversations, presentations, and community settings.

This half-day workshop is ideal for:

No previous presentation experience is required—just a willingness to participate and practice!

By the end of the workshop, you’ll be able to: 

Workshop Experience

This is a highly interactive, practice-based session. You’ll spend time learning key concepts, then immediately applying them in small groups and short talks on stage.

7:45a  Arrivals
8:00a Use the Energy – Reframing Fear & Physiological Responses
9:00a Storytelling & Connection – Making Impact
10:00a Design & Delivery – Crafting Your Message
11:00a Presence & Practice – Putting It All Together
11:55a Close

Event Facilitators

Cyndi Donahue is the Director of Leadership Training for Gonzaga University’s School of Leadership Studies. She is a three-time DisruptHR speaker and served as emcee for the 2025 Journal of Women in Business Leadership event.  Cyndi’s purpose is to help people connect with themselves and others for the betterment of our community. She is the founder and facilitator of Amplifying Women’s Voices and serves on the Forward Fairchild Committee and the Leadership Spokane Alumni Committee.

Phil Tyler is the Associate Director of Gonzaga’s Campus Security & Public Safety and a Senior Resource Partner at Influencing Options®. His greatest desire is to make the world a better place by helping professionals and individuals improve their relationships through better communication and increased trust. Phil’s ability to promote and facilitate relationship-building classes through a hands-on, personalized approach allows him to connect and build lasting relationships.

Tara Wear is a public speaking expert and certified Co-Active coach who specializes in effective communication, emotional intelligence, and authentic confidence. Her passion is equipping people with the skills and mindset required to thrive. Tara serves as a TEDx Spokane coach and partners with Gonzaga Leadership Training to provide clients with the clarity, composure, and connection necessary for public speaking success.

Mike Wright serves as the Learning and Development Manager at Gonzaga University and creates spaces for connection, collaboration, and communication. He is an adaptive and empathetic leader with 20 years of training and development experience. Mike is a public speaking and facilitation expert who specializes in designing for impact. He previously served in the U.S. Air Force for 23 years and was a talent development specialist for Kalispel’s Northern Quest Resort and Casino.