I believe that when the students bond together as a team they can support each other and are more likely to stay in the program. I teach composition and one of the tactics I incorporate into the classroom is working on the student's public speaking skills. I provide weekly topics and ask them to organize their thoughts into 3 talking points and share them with the class. I review elements of good public speaking skills in accordance with Toast Masters. After the student presents on a topic the audience then critiques the speaker by pointing out what they did well to keep them engaged and offers suggestions on how to engage the audience better next time. I have found this to be very helpful because the students get to know each other better and bond as a unit. They also learn that they can seek each other for academic and personal friendships.