The Importance of Public Speaking Mastery to Succeed

The most successful people in the world have one thing in common between them, or at least one like quality that they all possess. That thing that they can all share is called, the ability to speak with high confidence in front of a group of people. In other words, they have all mastered public speaking. According to a survey conducted by the Chapman University, on American fears, public speaking ranked number one with twenty-five percent of Americans stating they fear speaking in front of a crowd. With that said, there is no doubt that most people have some apprehensions when it comes to the subject of speaking in public or talking in front of a group of people. Whether it be in front of family members or strangers, the fact of being the center of attention and being in the spotlight can create a level of stress that not all people can handle. However, the likelihood that we will face the opportunity or be put in the position where we have to speak in front of people. Whether it be at work during a meeting, a conference, a community meeting, or family event, the time to shine will come and if we seek to become our interpretation of successful being proficient at public speaking is vital.

When we are young, most of the opportunities that we get to practice or the early exposures we get to public speaking are relatively easy, but they help set the foundation to what we can expect in the future. Some examples are getting to lead the school for the morning pledge of allegiance, doing an in-class presentation, show-and-tell, and or during a recital. No matter how minute those exposures are, they help set the foundation to public speaking and to manage the ones ability to not freeze under pressure while in the spotlight. The public speaking mastery that is primordial for success and leadership, as children some of us get additional practice while being assigned a leadership position within a sports team or a within groups, for example, a scout club. Those small inspirational speeches we give while in a huddle right before a big game or before a company of scouts at the annual summer camp help us become successful public speakers.

As we progress through life, those chances and opportunities become more frequent. A lot of the group speeches become individual, and the level of importance public speaking becomes more and stressed by our teachers. While in high school, some of the educators assign speeches, poems, or other forms of writing assignments that become a public speech in front of classmates and sometimes even the school. It is at this point that many individuals begin to from the phobia of public speaking because social perception is critical to the many relationships, statuses, or image juveniles try to maintain or develop. Self-consciousness and doubt become more apparent and visible; one's body feels the physiological and physical changes like increased heart rate, sweating, and stuttering. It takes only one time to fail at public speaking to completely turn you off and away from it completely.

In college or any post grade school education, public speaking becomes more and more constant. Even if someone chooses to enlist in the military like me, you cannot escape public speaking. At a certain point in your career, you will gain some form of experience therefore requiring you to train others, and or supervise others making public speaking a norm for many of us. Additionally, if we want to promote within our companies and demonstrate leadership, or to show our bosses that we are ready for a more significant role within our company, we will have to rise to the occasion and succeed at public speaking. In doing so, we can demonstrate the aforementioned leadership and preparedness for the extra responsibility resulting in extra money from that promotion.

I have found that in order to succeed in public speaking, you have to know a few things in order to prepare and to deliver a good speech. Know your audience; this is very important because knowing your audience allows you to tailor your speech towards that audience and to have a more significant effect on getting your message across, and through to them — also, the tone used in the delivery of your speech. Tone can also affect the effectiveness of your speech, and if your speech is meant to be persuasive, then the tone should match. Furthermore, the inflection of your voice has to match as it can sway or turn off an audience. Body language also portrays your level energy, and it is one of the most noticeable things that your crowd can pick up. Overall, your tone, inflection, body language, and the targeting of your speech will make or break the success of it.

The preference in the different types of speech varies from person to person. I like the classroom setting speeches since I enjoy instructing, and it is also easier to pick up on the cues from the audience and get both or their verbal and non-verbal feedback. However, life will throw different things at you should take every chance to practice with small crowds so that your comfort and confidence level increases with each speech. Lastly, another recommendation is to get feedback from the crowd after your speech. Make yourself available to some of the members of the audience and ask for their opinion.

Overall, we have been preparing and practicing for public speaking since we were in grade school, playing on recreational leagues, and partaking in a scout club as we progressed through life on the social, educational, and professional level we encounter more and more public speaking. This is not a reason to shut down and shy away from it even though it is the largest phobia we suffer as Americans; we should take advantage of each opportunity and rise to the occasion. It is evident that if we want to be like the most successful people, we too have to master the ability of public speaking.

Reference:

1. “The Chapman University Survey on American Fears.” The Chapman University Survey on American Fears | The Earl Babbie Research Center | Chapman University, 2018, www.chapman.edu/wilkinson/research-centers/babbie-center/survey-american-fears.aspx.