- Public speaking is more than delivering speeches—it builds confidence, sharpens critical thinking and opens doors to leadership and career opportunities.
- Victor Ochieng’ explains why mastering the art of public speaking remains one of the most valuable skills in the 21st century.
My nearest dearest, in A Speaker’s Guidebook, a great text, and a riveting reference I treasure on my shelf of self-help books – three thrilling authors – Dan O’Hair, Rob Stewart and Hannah Rubenstein – offer good guidance on why people should sharpen public speaking skills.
For, ideally, ability to speak confidently and convincingly in public, is a great asset that should be valued by people yearning to show their shine and sheen in management, leadership, politics, governance, classroom, workplace, business, community, et cetera. In The Art of Public Speaking, a heroic book I can cite as the greatest text book for public speaking, Dale Carnegie posits that public speakers hone their confidence while preparing speeches, as well as while delivering them repeatedly before people.
Meaning, by choosing to stand out in mastering the mechanics of public speaking, people discover that it is a powerful vehicle for both personal and professional growth. In the whole scheme of things, as an orator and a rhetor, I think there are four real reasons that I consider should drive people into honing public speaking skills. They are accomplishing personal and professional goals, making job-seekers valuable and employable, exploring sharing of values and honing critical thinking and listening skills.
- Accomplishing Personal and Professional Goals
Foremost, most manifold public speaking opportunities offer both practical knowledge and skills that sets speakers firmly on the path of satisfying personal growth, development and improvement. Splendid indeed, the skill of public speaking, offers a wonderful way of expressing opinions before other people. People skilled in public speaking, stand bolt upright before others and evince excellence in eloquence. They walk heads held high. They clamour for chances to inform others about pertinent societal issues. They find it easy to persuade other people to opt for certain viewpoints and standpoints. No wonder, professionals who can speak in public evolve into leadership roles.
Meaning, wielding public speaking skills, contributes to personal growth in umpteen ways. It helps people in building life skills such as confidence and self-esteem. By gathering good courage to speak in public, all can concur, people can conquer fear. Through public speaking, people express personal opinions, needs and feelings. People adept at it, develop better inter-personal or people skills. We are told, they become bold and independent people. They pursue personal goals with courage and confidence.
Withal, the unique technique to craft great speeches abuts on stupendous skills speakers can employ in other professions. For instance, manifold forms of writing or composition, condition scribes like the welder of these words to research on topics, analyse audiences, support and prove certain claims, as well as select picture-perfect patterns of organising intelligent ideas.
Actually, most professions have oral presentation components. Somewhat, students in technical disciplines, and sciences alike, are oft expected to explain complex concepts in a manner that is clear like crystal. So, being able to identify target audiences, as well as selecting appropriate modes of delivery are critical skills useful for all and sundry. More so, to the business major, who must communicate with multiple audiences such as co-workers, managers, marketers, salespersons, clients, customers, et cetera.
Likewise, as a top tip, for young professionals scouting for forms employment to entice enjoyment, knowing how to speak in public can increase chances of being hired after fairing on well in job-interviews. More so, job-interviews taking the panel format. By the same token, public speaking skills can accelerate career progression of professionals. For those who can express themselves well in public, can clearly communicate their ambitions. They can also persuade others about ideas and ideals they hold dear. Such people also find it easy in building useful networks for mutual gain. Again, they forge useful professional relationships. They present proposals and ideas confidently and convincingly.
- Making Job-Seekers Valuable and Employable
Secondly, in any profession worth pursuit, the soft skill of public speaking makes job-seekers valuable and employable. Top employability skills that require public speaking skills are tackling job interviews or tests, and tactical negotiation of salaries. In a certain insightful article, which I pored over in the recent past titled What Students Must Know to Succeed in the 21st Century, the wonderful writer contends that clear communication leads to successful job-searching spree, as well as possible placement. Job-hunting skills that call for excellent communication competency include negotiating for reasonable salaries, as well as crafting cover letters and curriculum vitae that sell job-seekers to potential employers.
More importantly, optimistic job-seekers must also know how to ask for what they want. In a heroic book titled Ask for the Moon and Get It by Percy Ross with Dick Samson, they write right, know what you want. Ask the right person. For you can never get milk from a bee. Or obtain honey from a cow. Prepare a good case. Give in order to receive. Overcome blocks of asking, which include, pride, low self-esteem, negativity, doubt, fear, et cetera. Request or invite. But never demand. Ask and keep asking. Go beyond ‘me’ and ‘we’.
Additionally, in the market place of great ideas, people who can communicate clearly are perceived to be smart or adept at what they do. Therefore, oral and written communication are not only job-searching and securing skills, but also job-holding skills. Public Speaking as a soft skill, makes a professional valuable and employable in the dynamic world work.
Advisedly, sharpening 21st Century Skills go beyond schooling or formal education. Such quiver of skills will call for life-long learning. No wonder, Alvin Toffler, the sagacious Jewish scholar warned, “The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and re-learn.” Elsewhere, Eric Hoffer also observed, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
In fact, communication and public speaking, take the centre stage in the 21st Century Skills, which are competencies that make people tick in these technological times and climes. Other slew of 21st Century Skills worth writing about are leadership, collaboration or teamwork, initiative or motivation, flexibility or adaptability, time management, critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, et cetera.
In fact, public speaking skill tops the long list of skills that are highly sought after by most potential employers. Dozens of surveys of corporate managers and executives reveal that oral communication is the most important skill promising employers seriously scout for in college graduates. Other colourful qualities employers look for are honesty or integrity, teamwork or collaborative skills, inter-personal or people skills, strong work ethic, motivation or initiative, flexibility or adaptability, analytical skills, computer and digital skills, organisational skills, et cetera.
- Exploring Sharing of Values
Thirdly, the highly-coveted opportunity to deliver a speech, gives the speaker the crucial chance to focus on ideas and events they are passionate about. Speaking in public, avails the opportunity to explore values, deep-seated beliefs, feelings and ideas about what deems fit, appropriate and important in life. While speaking in public, speakers explore values and explore relevant issues in civil dialogue. This is regardless of whether the audience shares their viewpoints or not. In Talk Like Ted, Carmine Gallo argues that great speakers show up to speak about topics they care about.
, public speaking encourages self-reflection. Somehow, by speaking in public, speakers point out issues and causes that are important. People learn to respect divergent opinions, and respect other cultures. Adroitness in public speaking encourages honesty, responsibility and ethical communication. Therefore, giving public speakers opportunities to think deeply about values of justice, fairness, integrity, honesty, et cetera.
- Honing Critical Thinking and Listening Skills
Consequently, surging forward to participate in public speaking sharpens people’s ability to reason and to think critically. As a public speaker, I have come to discover that it helps people to organise thoughts logically before going lyrical as a sage on stage. The question-and-answer segment at the tail-end, assists public speakers in honing problem-solving skills. More so, when responding to tough questions interjected by listeners. Great speakers pay attention to both verbal and non-verbal cues. They learn to be empathetic by considering other people’s perspectives and feelings. Standing before people to speak, makes you develop a soft underbelly that can easily be pricked by any form of feedback and criticism. Somewhat, people that develop intense interest in public speaking, learn to construct claims. They learn how to engage in a cogent argument. They learn to reason right. Then, as people practise to deliver speeches, they become thoroughly skilled at structuring thoughts and ideas.
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Finally, penchant for public speaking also hones the highly valued skill of apt listening. For as orators focus on interesting ingredients of phenomenal speeches, they also become critical consumers of serious speeches delivered by the greatest orators of all time such as Demosthenes of Athens, Pericles of Athens, Marcus Tullius Cicero from Rome, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King (MLK), Winston Churchill, et cetera. For in a world in which misleading information is oft disguised as logic for purposes of selling, deception, exploitation, or manipulation; the ability to listen carefully enables people to sieve facts from falsehood. Or separate chaff from maize.
By Victor Ochieng’
The writer is an orator and a rhetor. He trains people on the art of public speaking. He assists people to write speeches for special occasions. For training, consideration or consultancy, contact: vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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