Public speaking is the top fear in America, before heights, darkness, and strangers. However, there are so many reasons why taking a public speaking course can be beneficial to all of us. And not just those with a career path in the communications field, but everyone. That's right, everyone. People of any occupation have the potential to gain the skills that a public speaking course has to offer. These people have the potential to utilize those skills, both in their professional and personal lives.
1. Interview preparation
When I took a public speaking course, our first lesson was all about how to prepare for and deliver in an interview. One thing that we went over was the common questions that an interviewer is likely to ask an applicant. This helped us familiarize ourselves with the type of questions that are likely to come up in an interview, and allowed us to practice responding to the questions, therefore with the overall goal of boosting our confidence in our abilities to respond to an interviewer properly.
Interviewers also pay lots of attention to the applicants non-verbal communication, otherwise known as body language. Public speaking courses go into great depth about how body language can sometimes be more telling of a person's character than what they are verbally saying, and helps people learn which to show and which to avoid.
2. Instills confidence
At first glance, speaking in front of an audience can be a little daunting. Public speaking courses offer skills to help calm people's nerves before they speak in front of an audience. These include breathing exercises and ways to loosen up to lessen the tense feelings people may be feeling.
Most of the assignments in a typical public speaking class include writing speeches and presenting them to the class, which helps the students practice speaking to an audience, hopefully making them less nervous after each speech.
3. Improves social connections
Taking a public speaking course can strengthen people's social connections. Learning the skills for both creating and maintaining connections with people of all different careers, ethnicities, and nationalities can open countless doors for people. You never know what opportunities can present themselves from an interaction with another person.
4. Learn to inspire others
Another benefit of taking a public speaking course is that it makes you more likely to voice your own opinions. Public speaking helps you organize your own thoughts and therefore when you present them to others, people are more likely to believe in what you are saying. They may also be more likely to want to listen to you and take after your original ideas. Rather than following in someone else's footsteps, this allows you to act as an authority figure.
5. Benefits your career
A main skill that companies look for in their candidates when hiring is communication. No matter what career you may have, you are likely to have to work with others and communicate to both your coworkers and to your customers.
Public speaking skills have the ability to open up many doors for the people that utilize them. Whether your major requires you to take a public speaking course or not, it is a life skill that benefits anyone. No matter how scary the idea might be, the benefits discussed above can override any fear.
