Learning to be an effective public speaker is an essential part of career advancement. The elements of public speaking can be incorporated into any aspect of both group and inter-personal communication. Without proper communication skills, employees often find that, even with hard work and a structured work ethic, they are not regarded as favorably by fellow workers, as someone who retains a high level of communicative talents. Aspects learned in public speaking can also help employees move up in a company or ascertain a raise in pay or benefits. So how can, what is considered essentially, speech making, help you succeed at your job?
The most obvious valuable characteristic of an experienced public speaker is their ability to stand in front of a crowd and talk. This effort may not seem terribly impressive; however, the ability to remain calm, when all eyes are on you, is more difficult that you might imagine. While you are learning public speaking you will be exposed to various strategies to help you learn to relax. There are several non-verbal cues you can use to demonstrate a confident posture and demeanor which will help your audience have more confidence in your abilities. These techniques will also help you inspire confidence on the job from both your coworkers and your employer.
An effective public speaker must also have the ability to relay a message. Although, many people feel they can speak their mind on a subject, there is actually a science to doing it right. First you must designate your talking points. These points are four or five statements that you want to be the main information your audience takes with them. All of the rest of the speech should be support for, or reinforcement of, those statements. This practice is also helpful on the job. When you must speak to your boss or your coworkers, you will be better able to hold their attention if you avoid veering off topic. Being able to make your point, back it up, and not confuse it with lots of unimportant verbiage will help you more efficiently get any job done.
Giving a speech on any topic requires a thorough knowledge base about that topic. As a result, speakers learn to do extensive research on what they will speak about. According to Catalyst Action Coaching LLC, “A good public speaker does not pre-write their speech, memorize it and rattle it off from beginning to end. Doing so presents as very robotic and you risk losing the interest of your audience. Instead, when speaking, you are encouraged to prepare well enough so that you know a great deal about your topic.” Once you have determined your talking points, you can write each point down on an index card. An effective public speaker should be able to glance at the talking point, and then speak freely about the topic with great confidence. In your career, thorough preparation, and a broad range of expertise, on work-related subjects, will obviously impress your employer and help you with day-to-day tasks.
Finally, the last, and possibly, the most important part of the communication cycle, is vital to a qualified public speaker. Feedback offers the public speaker an opportunity to determine how well she relayed her message by having it retold to her by her audience. Feedback, both positive and negative, helps the speaker to improve her message and transfer it more effectively in the future. Through the answering of audience questions, a public speaker demonstrates their knowledge and reinforces their original message. On the job, an employee must be able to take feedback and use it to improve their service or product. Feedback from coworkers, bosses, clients or customers is all relevant when determining where you have succeeded and where you can stand to improve.
