On September 16, at the International Festival of Youth – 2026, MGIMO held the “Voice Lab” workshop — a practical session on how to turn meaning and ideas into a powerful public speech.
The session centered on two key elements of persuasive speech: meaning and voice. Participants explored how to shape a core message, build an argument, hold the audience’s attention, and at the same time work with their voice, intonation, pace, and pauses.
The moderator was Yaroslav Skvortsov, Dean of MGIMO’s School of International Journalism. Together with Anastasia Borodina, a TV presenter and host of major events, they discussed why public speaking skills matter today, where preparation for a good speech begins, and how to adapt your communication style to different audiences.And right after that practice followed
Anastasia Borodina led a hands-on master class on voice control. Participants got to practice tools that directly affect how a speech is perceived: breathing, timbre, intonation, pauses, and pace.
Perhaps the main takeaway for participants was that a strong speech begins not only with what we want to say, but also with how we say it. In a world where the amount of information and the number of voices keeps growing, it is especially important to be able to articulate your position clearly, get it across to your audience, and make sure meaning is always heard behind the voice.Thank you to Yaroslav Skvortsov and Anastasia Borodina for the practical tools, the open dialogue, and the chance to put new skills into practice right away!
MGIMO International (ENG) | МГИМО для иностранцев (RUS)
