As the pressure to stand out in a more competitive and globalized world increases the need to be able to speak confidently in public is becoming more central to our success. For all of us it is important to be able convince others of the validity of our point of view, to sell our ideas, express our needs and articulate our desires. In some countries and industries competition has become so great we are to a point of needing to even justify our right to exist. As this pressure of growing humanity leads to more and more overcrowding and competition only those that can express themselves well will find a place in the future. The future, particularly in the workforce, for those who are unable to promote themselves and sell their services and skills is at best limited and at worst disastrous.
Although this is a relatively new state for some I can remember some time back while training some Indian colleagues commenting that they were, to put it kindly, “very verbose and that they would do anything to keep talking”. They smiled and said Richard… “here in our country there are many people and limited opportunities, we learn at a young age to stand up and have our say due to a need for us to compete to be noticed”. One participant even suggested, “if you don’t get noticed here, you just fall of the edge”.
So why is a skill in public speaking, as opposed to effectiveness in one on one conversations so important. Firstly learning to speak in public will force you to come to terms with the need to clearly and succinctly articulate a point of view. As you learn to speak in public you will be trained to build your ‘argument’ in a logical fashion and present your points so that one point builds on another. This training in thinking and speaking in a structured and logical manner is a great life skill to develop. If you persist and become proficient enough in your topic to allow for questions you will additionally improve your ability to “think on your feet”, obviously another essential skill for a fast moving environment. All these public speaking experiences of course should, in the normal course of events, enable you to increase your self-confidence, a major key to all success.
A few additional payoffs from learning to speak in public
If you speak regularly (and well) it will make you more comfortable when dealing with strangers, rather than just those that are close to you and particularly in taking the lead in what could be a relatively hostile environment.
Being comfortable and confident when speaking in public improves your employability, as it is a skill sought after in all managers by pretty much all organizations.
This skill will lead to you being better able to persuade people, as you practice and get feedback, which will allow you to improve your chances to appeal to them as human beings that have emotions, desires and thoughts that are often similar to your own. As another writer (source unknown) put it, “this is the difference between distinguishing between a simple [view of an audience as] bosses, employees or clients and transforming them in your mind into people with real problems, hopes, fears, dreams and desires”.
If you have ambitions to be a leader obviously you not only have to come up “big ideas” and a sound vision of the future you will need to express those ideas and your vision with passion and conviction to large groups of people from whom you will need to gain support and co-operation. Becoming a proficient public speaker will be essential if you are to reach a sizeable following.
So the conclusion must be that becoming an effective public speaker is a key life skill and will likely be the difference between success and failure in your life at home, at work and in the community in which you live.
