How do you feel about public speaking? Some love the idea of reaching out to an audience through their words and charisma, while others avoid it completely, dreading embarrassment. Regardless, what’s inevitable is that you’ll one day end up speaking in front of an audience. Perhaps it’s just for a class project, or as part of a campaign to raise awareness, or to present what you’ve learnt as an assignment.
It may seem like a waste of time. Why should you spend half an hour fumbling about in front of a judgemental audience who are simply not interested in what you’re saying? In truth, the negative perception some may have stems from fear. Public speaking skills, or just speaking skills in general, is an invaluable skill that will give you a strong advantage. This post presents four reasons why you should practice public speaking.
It boosts your confidence
Has there ever been a time where you knew the answer to a question in class, but decided not to say it out loud because you were afraid that your classmates would laugh at you? This fear is something most people would have when it comes to public speaking. They will instantly assume that the worst possible thing can happen. Maybe they’ll stammer, or they’ll say the wrong thing, or someone will give a rude remark. However, these thoughts and worries are the ones holding them back from speaking well!
There will be a time where you might make mistakes in your speech or presentation, but learning to take it in stride and work with it is part of your public speaking skills. With practice, you will be able to handle things as they come, replacing your thoughts of ‘Oh no, I messed up a word, everyone is laughing at me now.’ with ‘Well, I mispronounced it. That’s actually quite funny. I need to make sure I say it correctly after this.’ You’ll gain confidence and be able to focus more on delivering the content of your speech instead of how people perceive you.
It improves your communication skills
As you become more confident, you will be able to communicate with others better, even with people you are unfamiliar with. This will help make new interactions easier. You’ll be less nervous in interviews or introductory conversations. Your confidence and eloquence can become a selling point, giving you an advantage over those who may be less familiar with the skill.
Your interpersonal communication skills improve with your public speaking skills too. It’s not just purely talking about what you want to talk about, public speaking also involves building rapport with the audience and being able to read social cues. You’ll be able to tell if your listeners are bored or confused, and this gives you an opportunity to use a different approach. The ability to notice and quickly adapt to changing situations when you are speaking shows emotional intelligence, shrewdness and creativity, traits that are sought by many.
It helps you with your thought process
Once you’re somewhat familiar with speaking to an audience, you will soon start to notice your thought process changing. You will be able to think from the perspective of your audience. This means that you can predict what questions they may ask and answer them beforehand. When you plan your speech, you’ll aim to provide concise explanations that are easy to understand.
The process of planning your speech is similar to planning your writing, hence having the skill of public speaking helps you become a better writer as well. Your workflow with assignments and essays will involve more research as you work to understand your content, which will in turn make your work more informative and interesting.
You will get your message heard
One of the main purposes of public speaking is to persuade or influence your audience into supporting your stance. No doubt, some of the most well-known speeches like ‘I have a dream’ by Martin Luther King Jr and ‘Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish’ by Steve Jobs, have moved many people across the world and generations.
If you can craft and deliver a powerful speech, you can reach out to the world. Speeches carry intonation and emotion in a way words cannot, your audience is not only reading your words, but also your expression. This means that they are more likely to be persuaded by what you have to say. People often turn to public speaking as a good way to bring awareness to important causes and gain supporters.
The art of public speaking is not something you get to pick up from a book or tutorial and while some people have it figured out, others can’t muster the courage to speak in front of others. It takes time and practice to get it right, but once you do get a hang of it, you’ll find that speaking in front of others becomes slightly easier as time goes on. So, don’t be daunted by the thought of speaking up! Take advantage of the opportunities you have to learn and soon, prepping for a presentation will be an easy process.
