About the Author

Colleen McGoff Dean has been teaching Communication Studies at the post- secondary level for over thirty five years.  After earning an Associate of Arts (with honors) from Chabot College in Hayward, California and a Bachelor’s (magna cum laude) in Speech Communication from California State University, Fresno, she earned her Master’s degree in Speech Communication and Education from the University of Washington in Seattle.  Subsequently, in California, Colleen taught at Chabot College, California State University East Bay (formerly CSU Hayward), and Solano College, at Travis Air Force Base, at the Medical Correctional Facility in Vacaville, and at Kaiser Hospital in Hayward.  She took a break from teaching to work as a Teacher Trainer for Vietnamese Boat People through UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) and World Concern in refugee camps in Kuala Lumpur and Sungai Besi, Malaysia.

After moving to British Columbia, she taught at Kwantlen Polytechnic University where, in addition to teaching university-preparatory writing, she developed and taught Industrial Communication in KPU’s Millwright and Metal Fabrication programs.  She currently teaches in the Communication Studies Department at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, Washington.

Colleen is a certified facilitator and trainer for Presentation Skills Workshops (PSWs), Instructional Skills Workshops (ISWs), and Facilitator Development Workshops (FDWs), and for Appreciative Inquiry and Cooperative Learning.

Colleen also provides communication effectiveness training to faculty, businesspeople, and those in volunteer organizations, and offers workshops on speaking clarity and confidence for those who speak English as an additional language.