On Thursday, April 17, 2025, the English Literature Study Program Student Association (HMPS) of UIN Sunan Kalijaga successfully held a seminar entitled “The Secret Recipe of Speaking Skills: Unlock the Hidden Techniques of Public Speaking”. Located at the Convention Hall on the second floor, this event became a platform for learning and training for students in improving their public speaking skills. The seminar was attended by various important audiences, ranging from faculty leaders, lecturers, to students from various classes, especially English Literature students.

The event was opened with greetings from the Dean of the Faculty of Adab and Cultural Sciences, Prof. Dr. Nurdin, S.Ag., S.S., M.A., who was accompanied by the vice deans and the Head of English Literature, Dr. Ulyati Retno Sari, S.S., M.Hum. The presence of the faculty leaders provided powerful moral support for the students, as well as showing the importance of mastering public speaking skills in today's academic and professional era.

The first speaker in this seminar was Laiyinatus Shifa Z.N., S.Hum., M.Pd., or famously called Miss Nana. She is an English Literature lecturer who is widely known for her expertise in public speaking. In her material session, Miss Nana shared various important tips and tricks in public speaking, ranging from mastering the material, voice intonation, eye contact, to how to overcome nervousness. Her communicative and energetic delivery made the atmosphere lively and interactive.

The session continued with hands-on training, where some participants were given the opportunity to practice their public speaking skills in front of an audience. Miss Nana gave constructive feedback to each participant, which not only motivated them to keep learning, but also gave a real picture of the points that needed to be improved. Participants who performed also received gifts from the committee as a form of appreciation.

After the session with Miss Nana, the seminar continued with material from the second speaker, Susilo Dewi, S.T., or better known as Mrs. Dewi Gunarto. She is a former radio broadcaster at Star Jogja FM and has extensive experience in broadcasting and communication. In her presentation, Ms. Dewi said that public speaking is not a talent that is born, but a skill that can be learned and honed by anyone with practice and strong desire.

Ms. Dewi also shared stories of her personal experiences while working in broadcasting, including how she overcame nervousness, built connections with the audience, and the importance of body language in supporting message delivery. She gave the audience the opportunity to practice the techniques, and then provided feedback so that the participants could understand more about the power of verbal and non-verbal communication in public speaking.

The event was made even more exciting by the talent performances of English Literature students, namely Bintang Syawal, Syalwa, and Safrina from the class of 2024, and Putri Khaleida from the class of 2023. Their performances energized and entertained the participants, as well as showing that public speaking skills and self-confidence can also be practiced through various forms of artistic expression and student creativity.

Overall, the seminar went very well and was full of enthusiasm. Not only as a place to share knowledge, but also as an inspirational self-development platform for students. Through this event, the participants not only learned theory, but also directly applied public speaking skills in real life, which is an important value in the academic world, organizations, and professional careers.(AMP)