Having seen the benefits first hand, both in my career and personal life, I have no doubt that public speaking is a skill worth developing, for a number of reasons. In this article I outline three of the most basic reasons why public speaking skills are important for everyone to develop at some point in life.

1) To Increase Self Confidence

Surveys about people’s fears often rank fear of public speaking top of the list. Whether they’ve spoken in public a lot or are just getting started, most people experience some anxiety when engaging in public speaking. By becoming effective at public speaking you’ll become better acquainted with the process for preparation and delivery, naturally leading to greater confidence when the time comes to speak.

2) To Develop Interpersonal Skills

We use interpersonal skills every day to interact with other people, both individually and in groups. Public speaking can be used as a tool to help people become comfortable around others. Once you’re capable of greeting an entire room full of strangers, it’ll be a piece of cake to smile, shake hands and greet new individuals, wherever you meet them.

3) To Become a Successful Leader

Every cause needs a leader, and every leader needs to be able to stand up and deliver a clear and inspiring message. If you want people to follow you, you have to communicate effectively what your followers should do. We can apply this rule to both our personal and professional lives, on the football field or in the boardroom. To become a successful leader you must first become an effective speaker.

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other – John F Kennedy

Closing Thoughts

Employers consistently rank public speaking and related communication skills as one of the top skills they look for in employees. You might have to talk about your organisation at a conference or make a speech after accepting an award.

Good public speaking skills are important in other areas of our lives, as well. You might be asked to make a speech at a wedding, give a eulogy for a loved one, or inspire a group of charity volunteers.

Simply put, public speaking is so important that it could be the deciding factor in many things such as career development, business growth and even in the relationships you have with friends and family. If you can master the finer points of public speaking, there’s a fairly good chance you’ll be able to tackle and master other opportunities and obstacles that come your way. So let the journey begin!