Working on the final draft of a paper or proposal? Preparing for a talk in the hospital or at a meeting? Paul Casella, consultant to the faculty of the Carver College of Medicine, is available to assist faculty by:
- Editing documents, providing feedback and meeting with authors
- Coaching speakers to be more effective teachers and presenters
- Leading seminars for faculty groups
These services are supported by the Office of the Dean, so there is no charge.
Editing
Send attached documents to paul-casella@uiowa.edu; manuscripts for publication, abstracts, grant proposals, book chapters, slides—anything written. Turn-around time is one to three weeks. Authors will receive:
- An electronic file with edits marked using the "track changes" feature of Microsoft Word
- A review that assesses the overall structure of the manuscript, including ways to strengthen the paper's clarity and reasoning
- The opportunity to meet with Paul to review the suggestions and ask questions
Speech-coaching
Contact Paul to schedule a one-hour coaching session to improve your public speaking skills. In each session, the speaker gives part of a talk, reviews the video with the coach, is offered suggestions to improve verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and has a chance to practice the changes. The participant keeps the tape. At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to:
- Give a more effective presentation
- Minimize distracting delivery skills and emphasize good delivery qualities to allow for an effective exchange of information
- Teach others how to be more effective speakers
Seminars
Seminars are available for faculty groups of all sizes. Topics include Writing for Publication, Writing Grant Proposals, Speaking for Success, and others designed for specific groups and purposes.
For a complete list with course descriptions, see Seminars for Professional Writing, Speaking and Teaching Skills.
About Paul Casella, MFA
Paul Casella is a writer, teacher, editor and producer. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Since 1993, Paul has worked with health professionals to improve the clarity and effectiveness of their manuscripts for publication, formal presentations, slides, posters, videos, and other media for scientific purposes.
Contact Paul at paul-casella@uiowa.edu.