Four Reasons to Master Public Speaking
I can still remember the first real speech I gave. I was 16 years old, in Year 10, and every person in the year at high school had to take part in a pubic speaking assessment. We could write and deliver a speech about anything we wanted. I chose to write about my uncle.
Uncle Brian had died of cancer a few years earlier. Grief is hard at any age, but particularly as a teenager. You are old enough to understand the devastation of death but too young to navigate the complex emotions that follow.
I can’t tell you exactly what I wrote in that speech – it’s been more than 20 years – but I do remember, at the end of the speech, the teary eyes of my fellow students. I also remember that I was one of only two people in the entire year of about 150 students to get 20/20 for the assessment.
It was my first real lesson in the power of words – the power of stories and emotion – to touch the hearts and minds of others.
Scientist Dr Matthew Lieberman, author of Social, says we are wired to connect. It is part of our cognitive make up. We need social connection just like we need food and water. It is why mastering the skills of public speaking is so important because, at its heart, public speaking—giving speeches, presentations or filming videos for social media—is about human connection.
Some people label public speaking a ‘soft skill’, but I’d rather call it a vital skill. Public speaking is a must-have skill to connect, influence and work with other people.
(Good public speaking = human connections = increased understanding = better outcomes.)
Here are five reasons why public speaking skills are important:
1. Mastering public speaking makes you a better leader
Winston Churchill once wisely said, “The difference between mere management and true leadership is communication.” Mastering public speaking will help you better connect with your workforce, more clearly explain your ideas and vision, and better inspire and motivate your employees. It is by speaking in public—by communicating—that you lead people. To become a better leader, master public speaking.
2. Becoming a better public speaker can make you a more successful business owner
At the heart of every good business is connection with its customers, especially small businesses. While many small business owners might not identify as public speakers, posting videos on social media whereby you speak to the camera is essentially speaking in public. Mastering public speaking can boost your confidence and visibility, increase connections and lead to more sales.
3. Speaking well in public can change how you see yourself
Mastering public speaking has a compounding effect (don’t ask me to prove it with some kind of equation). When you take the stage or turn on the camera and deliver your message with confidence and clarity, you change how you see yourself. You belief in yourself more. You believe in your leadership. You believe that YOU have something valuable to share. You grow in confidence and show up differently for others—with more purpose and intent. Mastering public speaking helps you be the person you wish to become.
4. Mastering public speaking can help you change how others see the world
Public speaking is the skillset you NEED to change how others see the world. Speeches, presentations and videos are how you connect with others to share new information and change their beliefs and perceptions. Public speaking is how you connect, motivate, inspire, influence and educate. Speeches and presentations help move the world forward, in the right direction.