Success in public speaking can open a whole world of opportunities for you. It can help you conquer new frontiers. It can broaden your horizons through personal development, influence, and advances in your profession.
Public Speaking Improves Your Personal Development
In Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, realizing man’s self-worth ranks the highest. Giving speeches helps the speaker realize self-worth through personal satisfaction whenever a good speech is given. The speaker becomes more confident primarily when the audience responds positively. It also reduces anxiety when asked by an authority to speak in front of some people.
Once a student dropped a course five times because he hated speaking in front of the class. But after a self-study on building up confidence, he decided to give public speaking a try and was successful. He came to enjoy the experience and even volunteered to give more speeches.
Through public speaking tools like research, conceptualization, and organization, you have a systematic and effective way of presenting your ideas; and thus, you will express yourself better. You will also become more open to other people. Furthermore, speaking skills put you in a more significant role as you talk with people of high standing. Lastly, public speaking satisfies your sense of achievement when the audience accepts you warmly. This reflects your level of communication skills and insight. All these contribute to your self-esteem.
Public Speaking Influences Your Society
It is not only you who can benefit from the art of communication but society as well. Most governments heed the voice of their citizens; with proper communication skills, you can represent the public in voicing out your rights and opinions.
An example of this would be a community discussion. Usually, when a neighborhood holds regular meetings, it discusses specific issues or courses of action. In the debate, various opinions are expressed, and there you have a clear interplay of public speaking. People from all walks of life need to speak in public, whether formally or otherwise. From kids reciting in school to folks in a town meeting to citizens voicing national issues; from a plain market vendor to a company president. There is no way you can avoid public speaking.
Public Speaking Advances Your Profession
Public speaking can help in your career, and eventually, your finances. Usually, success is gauged by answers to questions like, “How long have you been in your job?” or “Do you hold an MBA degree or something similar?” However, researchers have proven that the best indicator of success in any profession is whether the person is often asked to give speeches. Those who give more speeches tend to have higher salaries than those who give less or no speeches.
Take this average engineer. She enrolls in a public speaking seminar that teaches two hours a week for six weeks. After two months, she is promoted to senior engineer! Her boss has been noticing her superb presentations.
The longer you work for an organization and the higher you climb the organizational ladder, the more your boss will ask you to preside over meetings and to give talks to the staff and subordinates or the clients. The higher your position, the more your responsibilities in leading people under you, and the more you must speak effectively. A manager once said, “From the chairman of the board to the assistant manager of the most obscure department, nearly everyone in business speaks in public or makes a speech at some time or the other.”
Aside from big organizations like IBM and General Motors, small organizations and businesses in the country also need good public speakers. Take the high school coach, for example. If he is not persuasive enough to tell the school board that new gym equipment is needed, the school athletes might have to bear with the old gym equipment.
In the same way, if parents are not convincing enough when they complain about a school dress code, their children may end up still wearing uniforms in school. If salespeople cannot explain their products with a convincing sales pitch, fewer people would buy their products. This is also true for nurses, doctors, firefighters, police personnel, and other professions. Even employees of General Motors meet regularly to make group decisions that they will present formally to management.
The bottom line is this: Whichever road you take, you will encounter instances that require you to speak in public.
If you would like to elevate your speaking, storytelling and/or presentation skills, please reach out to me, Al Jensen, at Al@NextStageCommunications.com I specialize in transforming mere mortals into confident speaking Super Stars.