“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” –Jerry Seinfeld
Ha!
I can identify. I had a 9th grade English teacher who made us get up and give 3-minute speeches. I was 14. Talk about a baptism of fire…
Fast forward to today:
I contributed to an article that asked the question: Why is public speaking important for business success?
You can read the entire article here.
1. It helps you become more confident.
That’s especially important for anyone who has to present ideas and strategies to clients.
2. It helps you become a better planner.
You have to organize your thoughts, do research, and learn to edit yourself: decide what’s relevant and what to leave out.
3. You learn how to tailor your remarks to a particular audience.
You have an enormous advantage when you learn to speak your customers’ language.
4. It helps you become a better networker.
Because you’ll meet new people after every talk. And many of them will want to have a word.
5. It helps you become more confident and relaxed in a teleconference.
You’re interacting with multiple people on a screen. They’re all watching you, sizing you up. You’re a public speaker, you’re used to that.
6. Presenting and answering questions are skills you need when you’re making a pitch.
It’s the same challenge: you’re trying to sell people on your ideas.
7. It helps prepare you for future speaking invitations: e.g., Chamber of Commerce, business and fraternal groups, etc.
They’re all great opportunities to showcase your brand and your business.
8. Public speaking is an uncomfortable situation (at least at first), so it’s good practice for taking risks and handling consequences, good or bad.
That’s a must-have skill for any leader or entrepreneur.
And here’s one more benefit which is best explained through an anecdote:
I’m a freelance illustrator. I was once asked to speak to over 100 eighth-graders at a Shadow Day lunch (they’d all spent the morning “shadowing” various business people to see firsthand what their jobs were like).
I told them that life gives you little hints about possible careers. I said I’d worked in a drug store after school, and that my favorite part of the job was decorating the store windows— a hint that I might enjoy a visual arts career.
Here’s the thing: Until I started working on that Shadow Day speech, it had never occurred to me that my after-school job had given me a “vocational hint.”
Sometimes public speaking gives you new insights.
A few other thoughts:
Steve Turner, a principal at Solomon Turner PR, points out that public speaking positions you as an industry expert. You become an authority. And that’s something that helps set you apart from competitors.
Each time you speak, you meet new prospects. And because you’re viewed as an authority, many will want to connect with you.
Steve says writing a speech also creates content you can post on your website and social platforms. If you can arrange to film your speech, you can even upload it to your YouTube channel.
Brian Krogh, a public speaking coach, notes that public speaking increases your visibility within an organization which provides advancement opportunities.
