Ryan Behrle ‘25 says the idea came to him last year, as he began his independent study on public speaking with Director of Student Idea Center Ms. Metty Vithayathil. It later expanded as he led a four-day micro-course, taking place in September and October of 2024, based around the topic of public speaking for students at Malvern.
Micro-courses have increasingly been integrated into the student experience and curriculum over the past couple of years at Malvern, often focusing on topics and fields that aren’t covered in regular classes. Behrle is one of the first students to initiate and lead a micro-course on his own accord.
“After the micro-course was finished, I was thinking to myself, what more can I do? That’s when I decided to create a branch of the Peer-to-Peer [Tutoring] Center where students can come and practice their presentations, talks, or speeches before [they] are due,” Behrle said.
Currently in a soft-launch phase, Podium to Purpose is helping students prepare for Malvern Prep Incubator Grant interviews. Thanks to these interviews, Podium to Purpose has already been busy, according to Behrle. He hopes to open it to the entire student body soon. With the help of Ms. Sweeney, who oversees the logistics of the Peer-to-Peer Tutoring Center, Behrle has created a group of more than 20 faculty mentors already offering to give feedback to students practicing their presentations and speeches.
Behrle coordinates each session through a Google Chat group with each of the faculty mentors. Usually, 1-3 mentors who are available will hear each presentation and give feedback. Students reach out to Behrle directly via email to schedule a time. This has effectively made him the “middleman,” which he admits is somewhat challenging at the moment. In the future, possibly after he has graduated, Behrle envisions the system being autonomous.
“[I’d like] for there to be QR codes around the school with ‘Podium to Purpose.’ We don’t have an app yet on our radar, but something like Google Sheets, Google Docs, or some sort of scheduling system would be great,” Behlre said.
Students can use their session time however they want. They can present their project or speech in full, or they can move through parts of it and ask for feedback during the brainstorming process. Each student will receive a written summary of their mentor(s)’ feedback, and the summary can also be shared with their teacher if the presentation is for a class.
There are several reasons why Behrle wants to invest time in this initiative. As Behrle reflects on his own experiences doing presentations for classes, he realizes that students might benefit greatly from an educational experience centered entirely around public speaking. While students are expected to present in various classes, particularly humanities subjects, there haven’t been many opportunities for students to receive constructive feedback beforehand in a dedicated space, program, or course.
“When it comes to public speaking, here at Malvern, the gap was that there was no public speaking class,” Behrle said.
Podium to Purpose bridges this gap by giving students helpful feedback that sets them up for success. Beyond this, Behrle’s passion for public speaking ultimately drove him to create Podium to Purpose. He believes that public speaking is a crucial skill for everyone to have in academics and life beyond high school.
“You’re always in a sales position, whether you’re actually selling a product or not. You’re ultimately trying to sell yourself. I’d like students to know that and the importance of public speaking and to gain a passion for it,” Behrle said.
Behrle is graduating shortly and attending the University of South Carolina. While far away, he still hopes to stay in contact with those involved with the program. Additionally, he is seeking a younger student to take over the operation of the program before he leaves.
“That’s ultimately a goal for me: to find that person,” Behrle said.
Students or faculty interested in participating in or continuing Podium to Purpose should contact Behrle or Ms. Sweeney.
