Speak Up: The Importance of Public Speaking Skills

In America, surveys show that we fear public speaking more than death.

As comedian Jerry Seinfeld joked, that means that if we’re attending a funeral, we’d rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.

It’s understandable. The idea of talking to large groups of people with all eyes and ears on us is frightening.

However, public speaking can be an important aspect of life, even if you never end up standing at a podium.

Public Speaking is about more than that.

Keep reading to learn about the importance of public speaking skills and how it can affect your life.

Inform

A major importance of public speaking lies in the ability to inform. 

Whether you are talking to a crowd, your employees, or your family, being able to effectively communicate a point is vital. When addressing a group of people with the intent of informing, you must be clear and concise.

The average adult attention span while listening to a speech is about 20 minutes, assuming the speaker is interesting. Otherwise, it’s closer to eight minutes.

Therefore, if you are longwinded, you will start to lose the attention of your audience. They will get bored waiting for the punchline, and their minds will wander.

Additionally, if you ramble on or get off topic, you’re wasting your time and the time of your audience.  And once again, you will lose them.

To effectively inform: stay on point, be straightforward, and keep it brief.

Create Change

Perhaps one of the greatest examples demonstrating the importance of public speaking skills is the ability to create change.

The world is a treasure trove of problems.

Fortunately, mankind has the ability to fix most of them. However, to invest themselves in a problem, people need to have a reason. They need to be motivated.

Adequate public speaking skills will give you the ability to inspire people.

To inspire, you must speak in a way that appeals to peoples’ emotions. This will affect change in your audience. An emotional person is an invested person.

The more people you can get invested in a problem, the more likely you will find an adequate solution.

Charisma

A big part of successful public speaking is being well-liked amongst the crowd. 

They don’t need to know your entire story or even who you are as a person. However, they need to know and like who you are as a speaker.

This means being charismatic.

As a charismatic speaker, regardless of what you have to say, people are going to want to listen. Additionally, if you are trying to sway the audience in a certain direction, you will be much more successful if you are charming.

Being charismatic will keep your audience captivated, even if the topic is somewhat dull.

Communication Skills

One importance of public speaking is learning how to talk to people in everyday life.

Outside of public speaking, you communicate with people all day long. You spend your days around co-workers, bosses, friends, and family and having good communications skills naturally makes you seem more intelligent.

When meeting new people, one of the first things they’re going to judge you on is what you say and how you say it.

Being learned in public speaking will help you seem more put-together when meeting new people.

Confidence

One of the biggest reasons people are so afraid of public speaking is because they lack confidence.

It takes a lot of courage and confidence to stand up in front of a crowd and speak. However, becoming well-versed in public speaking will give you more confidence in all levels of communication.

Additionally, considering a large number of people are uncomfortable speaking with their superiors, this is an especially positive benefit of having adequate public speaking skills. Bosses will respect you more if you are not timid or nervous while talking to them.

If you want to boost your confidence and public speaking skills, click here to learn more!

Credibility

Often, an over-looked importance of public speaking is the credibility that it brings you.

While speaking to an audience, language and eloquence are important, it adds to the overall effect, regardless of the topic. Speaking well will make you and your purpose more credible.

For example, an audience will lose faith in you or what you’re saying if you say “um” or “like” between every other word.

Leadership

Public speaking also applies to your career and how far you can take it.

First, knowing how to clearly and comfortably communicate with people will help you stand out at work. Your boss will likely take note of this and view it as a leadership skill.

Additionally, if you are trying to move up in your company, you will need to interview for each new position. The interviewing process often dictates whether or not you get the job, especially when there are other applicants.

Being able to impress the interviewer will go a long way. However, the reverse is also true. If you stumble and stutter all the way through the interview, you won’t instill much confidence.

Finally, public speaking is a necessary skill to have as a leader. Regardless of if you manage two people or 200 people, your ability to communicate with them will directly reflect the quality of work they produce.

Improve Your Knowledge

On a personal level, speaking in public enhances your knowledge.

When speaking to an audience, you are required to fully understand the subject you are talking about. You will need to be able to answer any questions people might have.

Studying your topic before a speech will make you a semi-expert on the subject. As a public speaker, your audience will already assume you know more than they do. Try not to give them false expectations.

You Understand the Importance of Public Speaking, Now What?

Obviously, the importance of public speaking is apparent in everyday life, not just on a podium. The question is, how do you become better at it?

Fortunately, there are clinics and workshops for people who need help public speaking. These clinics handle everything from getting over your fears to teaching you how to appeal to thousands of people at once. 

However, there’s a lot more to owning a business and entrepreneurship than being a good public speaker! Check out our blog to get more tips and advice on business and career!