Elizabeth Matalon helps other teens with public speaking

Elizabeth Matalon isn’t shy about helping others overcome their struggles with public speaking.

The Great Neck North High School senior is the founder of Teen Speakers Club, a nonprofit peer-to-peer program designed to help students “develop confidence and communication skills through training and structured mentorship,” she said.

Matalon said her interest in public speaking began at age 13 when her aunt, Tinna Phillips, a stroke survivor, requested her help raising awareness about stroke warning signs by giving a presentation at a local assisted living facility.

“I agreed to it, but as the date approached, I began to panic,” said Matalon, 18. “My parents enrolled me in a public speaking course with a professional actress, but I felt like she couldn’t really understand my fears.”

Matalon said she made the most progress with public speaking through her own research and practicing at home. She said she went on to tutor more than 50 friends and family members on the topic after realizing her peers were having similar struggles with in-person presentations after years of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Teen Speakers Club, which she launched during her junior year, consists of an eight-module curriculum complete with worksheets and exercises, as well as a team of 15 mentors who have been trained by Matalon to teach the material. Module topics include expression, speed and body language, she said.

In addition to one-on-one tutoring, Matalon said she has also given presentations to student groups at places including Temple Israel of Great Neck and Rye Country Day School in Westchester County.

“Public speaking is already a tough subject, but when the tutor is someone who is close in age and can relate to you, I feel like it becomes a way more approachable subject,” Matalon said.

Great Neck North freshman Maya Shamas, a former mentee and now a mentor for Teen Speakers Club, said she had previously taken multiple acting and performance classes to boost her public speaking skills. The one thing that helped, she said, was Matalon’s program.

“I learned skills like ... how to manage the pace of my speaking, and even the way to format my speech so it was easier to read,” Shamash said in a statement. “Not only did this help me with my speech, but I think about these skills and techniques daily and apply them to my speaking regularly.”

Matalon’s guidance counselor, Kristen Corrigan, also praised the teen for her “determination and leadership.’’

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.