Catherine Zizik, M.F.A.

Associate Professor of Communication
College of Human Development Culture and Media

Catherine Zizik is an Associate Professor of Communication at Seton Hall University and a consultant, trainer, coach, and performance practitioner. As a Seton Hall faculty member since 1985, she enjoys working with students in order to empower their hearts, minds, and spirits through the blend of rhetoric and performance. Prof. Zizik is the Founding Director of Forensics of the Brownson Speech and Debate Team and is the Foundress and Director of the Metropolitan Forensics Institute. Professor Zizik is also the Co-Director of Seton Hall’s National Ethics Bowl Team. She also teaching Communication Ethics, Effective Leadership Strategies, Communication Excellence, Persuasive Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Public and Presentational Speaking, Oral Interpretation, Oral Communication, Team Building and the Group Process, Acting, and Great Speeches of Our Time. Prof. Zizik has presented an extensive list of papers, presentations and workshops at regional, national and international communication and business conferences. As a performance practitioner she has coached several undergraduate national speech champions and has earned SHU thousands of individual speech awards during her tenure as Head Coach and Director of the Brownson Speech and Debate Team. She is a member of the National Communication Association, the Association for Professional and Practical Ethics, the American Forensics Association and the International Business Communication Association.

Catherine is also a motivational speaker and communication consultant specializing in performance training, speech delivery and construction, nonverbal effectiveness, visionary conception, strategic direction, key messaging, leadership development planning, crisis management and recruitment. Catherine's specialty is training leaders. She tailors workshops in diversity, visionary leadership, effective followership and PowerVoice. Additionally, she has coached and trained members of Pfizer's Executive Leadership Team, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Merck. Zizik has worked with the BOC Group on their recent merger with Linde Gases in Germany.
Catherine's research interests include invisible disabilities and inclusion, compassionate leadership, nonverbal communication, the leader as follower, and biographical performance.

Catherine's research interests include compassionate leadership, nonverbal communication, the leader as follower, and biographical performance.