Do you know what our biggest fear is? It’s not the fear of nuclear war, death, ghosts, or spiders, as many believe. It’s the fear of speaking in front of others.
Public speaking skills are essential for career growth, but we wrestle to get the words out. Even though we know how valuable presentation skills are for work, we cannot muster the courage to talk. We are terrified at the thought of addressing an audience, no matter how small it is.
Whether you are a legal or medical professional, a travel agent or human resource manager, a chef or a teacher, you must speak publicly to advance in your career.
Here’s how public speaking can influence your career:
- Efficiency: If you improve your public speaking skills, you can get work done faster. Some jobs demand a lot of presentations, and if you aren’t up for it, you are not likely to get promoted. You must be ready to handle client presentations at any time.
- Leadership advantage: If you aspire to be a leader one day, you must be capable of leading your staff and delegating work. For this, you will need public speaking skills because you can’t convey a message to others if you don’t know how to deliver a message. A good public speaker will be confident when addressing his staff, superiors, and subordinates.
- Effective communication: Proper communication among employees is necessary for work to progress smoothly. Good public speaking skills help to facilitate communications and prevent delays and hold-ups. You can use your communication abilities to inspire, motivate, and build relationships with others at the workplace.
- Image building: To climb the career ladder, you must build a positive self-image. Public speaking helps you achieve this. You can be confident when you talk to others and come across as dependable and efficient. Communication skills portray an image of knowledge, skill, charisma, and intelligence.
- Reputation: When you speak confidently in front of seniors and high-ranked executives, you look like an industry expert. It makes you more credible and attractive and helps to bring you into the limelight. Industries may approach you to speak on industry-related topics later on.
There’s no good time to start working on your speaking skills. You will find many opportunities in college to showcase these skills and get recognized. If you feel nervous about going up on stage and taking the mic, it’s normal. Start small and practice speaking among friends to gain confidence, and then try to address larger crowds.
