Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) will host Fast FWD @ NU-Q, a professional development session on October 29, featuring a public speaking masterclass led by NU-Q faculty member and broadcast journalist Scheherazade Safla-Gaffoor.
Titled "Influential Public Speaking: Communicate with Confidence, Clarity, and Impact,” the session will explore practical techniques for managing nerves, strengthening vocal delivery, and speaking with greater confidence and credibility in professional settings, from leading meetings to moderating panels.
Fast FWD @ NU-Q is a free professional development event for alumni of Qatar Foundation (QF) schools and current NU-Q juniors and seniors, offered in partnership between NU-Q’s Executive Education Program and Student Experience office. The event also includes a networking meet-and-greet and a complimentary buffet lunch, giving participants a chance to build practical skills and professional connections within Qatar’s community.
Safla-Gaffoor, an assistant professor in NU-Q’s Journalism and Strategic Communications Program, brings nearly 30 years of experience in broadcast journalism, on-air presenting, and podcasting to the session. Her career spans television networks across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, including Channel Five in London, South Africa’s first 24-hour news channel ENCA, TRT World in Turkey, and Al Jazeera English. She was also a senior reporter and producer for Euronews’s The Exchange and its flagship show, Qatar365.
Beyond broadcasting, Safla-Gaffoor produces and hosts 1001, a podcast launched in March 2025 that creates a platform for women across the Global South. The show explores topics ranging from the challenges of podcasting in a male-dominated industry to reporting from Cape Town’s Cape Flats ganglands, and it was nominated for the Women Podcasters Network Awards 2026. She also teaches first-year journalism, broadcasting, and audio journalism at NU-Q.
Her work also explores representation in African media, including her doctoral research on the challenges facing Black women in South Africa’s podcasting industry.
The seminar will start at 9am at NU-Q, followed by a networking meet-and-greet session at 10.15am and a complimentary buffet luncheon at 12.45pm. The event is free and open to alumni of Qatar Foundation schools and current NU-Q juniors and seniors. Seating is limited.