Does the term “public speaking” immediately make your palms start to sweat? Your pulse start to accelerate?
Your stomach drop? Your armpits itchy? And more? Then this post is for you.
Public speaking can seem like a scary thing. But we’re here to shed a light on how public speaking skills can not only help you in the boardroom.
But how you can actually gain both personal and professional success from this essential skill. Trust us, we know the power of public speaking.
We make our living out of it! So why don’t you let us Clean Comedians® tell you everything there is to gain from public speaking.
You might even get to reap the benefits of public speaking yourself. And any other skills that accompany public speaking as well.
See Related: Why Having An Entertaining Speaker Is Mutually Beneficial To Your Company Event
Types of public speaking
First, let’s look at the different types of public speaking that exist. (Don’t panic, there’s only three and it just breaks down public speaking in some helpful ways.)
Informative speaking
Informative speaking is what we do most everyday. It’s in our everyday conversation indicating important information, whether at work, at home, at the grocery store, etc.
You might not think you need to take a public speaking course on informative speaking. But knowing that this is what we do on a daily basis will help you understand other ways of public speaking.
Besides, it also makes you realize that you engage in public speaking everyday. Not so scary anyway, is it?
Persuasive speaking
Persuasive speaking is exactly what it sounds like. You’re trying to persuade someone to agree with you!
You might have a persuasive speech you’ve prepared for a business lunch. But maybe you’re just trying to persuade your household what restaurant to order takeout from.
See? Public speaking doesn’t necessarily mean standing up in front of a room full of people with a prepared speech. Unless that’s how you get your family to order takeout…
Entertaining speaking
We don’t want to brag or anything. But entertaining speaking is the exact field in which we excel as virtual event hosts and comedians.
Whether we’re asked to speak at award ceremonies, conferences, other special events and more, we’re engaging in speaking and being entertaining at the same time. So yes, we’re still disseminating important information.
But we’re making you laugh too. Otherwise, we’re not doing our job right!
Professional benefits of public speaking skills
Hopefully, those little breakdowns of public speaking helped to alleviate some of that palm sweat of yours. So now, let’s look at the benefits of public speaking and what you can gain from it in the workplace.
#1. Aid your career advancement
Sometimes, the job market can be slim. And that’s when first impressions become the gateway into developing your professional life.
Well, public speaking skills can greatly advance your chances at getting hired. Because your communication habits demonstrate your ability to engage well with others.
Not to mention that good public speaking skills also demonstrate leadership abilities. So it’ll get your foot in the door, and it’ll open more doors for you down the line.
#2. Give your professional reputation a boost
How many business leaders do you know who can’t grab audience members’ attention for the life of them? Probably not too many, if any, right?
That’s because public speaking skills are an essential asset of one’s leadership skills. Do you know how many executives spend millions on hiring public speaking coaches, public speaking workshops, public speaking classes, and more?
Probably more than you know. Because good speech, nay, effective speech forces speakers to develop a speaking style that speaks to the masses.
#3. Work on developing leadership skills
If you know someone who has a bunch of public speaking engagements lined up, odds are they’re a formidable force within the industry. Oral communication skills are a vital part of business.
They’re not just a valuable skill to have. They’re integral to the success of a company.
So being a good public speaker isn’t just about skimming the surface of a general communication style. It’s about taking on leadership opportunities and seeing company goals through.
#4. Build critical thinking skills
Critical thinking, public speaking – you might not think the two have anything in common. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Because when you speak effectively, you’re able to look at both the positive and negative consequences of the task at hand. Public speakers don’t just get through an entire speech by taking one side only.
They offer valuable insights by seeking fresh perspectives. And illuminating those perspectives in their speech writing process.
#5. Improve communication skills once and for all
A public speaking class doesn’t just focus on getting up in front of a room full of people. It works on improving communication skills overall.
And that includes body language. In order to communicate effectively, you can’t give a speech with your arms crossed and head down, right?
You need to fluently speak with your head held high, eye contact maintained, and arms either at your side or passionately gesticulating. Your choice. (Or whoever the teacher is in your public speaking class.)
#6. May even help you develop good writing skills
One of the benefits of public speaking that doesn’t get mentioned too often is its impact on writing skills. Let’s say you have a business report that you need to turn in.
And you need to get your point across in as few words as possible. Well, public speaking classes can help you develop that ability.
Because nobody is going to want to listen to you talk about the point. Besides, writing a speech also requires good research skills. So it’s like killing three birds with one stone!
#7. Banish public speaking anxiety
Okay, we know that public speaking anxiety is a very real thing. But that’s not to say that it can’t be conquered.
If you have any kind of anxiety in front of crowds, then public speaking classes can greatly help you. Think of it as practice runs.
You’ll have other speakers in the room to give you helpful tips. And you’ll have a myriad of opportunities to direct audience members in whatever direction you want them to go.
Take it from us. You don’t think our stellar corporate entertainment comes from out of nowhere right?
We’ve got rehearsals and workshops of our own! Just remember that public speaking is like a muscle, and you need to work it out in order for it to get stronger.
Bonus: How To Involve Your Attendees At Corporate Events
Personal benefits of public speaking skills
Earlier we mentioned that public speaking wasn’t just about enhancing your opportunities at work. It’s also about aiding you in your personal development.
Communication skills don’t just get turned off after you punch out the clock. They carry over into everything you do. So let’s look at the personal benefits your public speaking ability can afford you.
#1. Greater self confidence in your everyday life
Being able to stand up in front of others and speak your truth is empowering. Even if that truth is a business report you had to give a presentation on.
But have you ever felt the high that comes after a really successful presentation? That’s your confidence.
And it builds every time you conquer something that scares you. Then, you get to carry over that confidence into your everyday life. Pretty sweet, huh?
#2. Personal satisfaction in your day to day life
Personal satisfaction? Public speaking? The two can’t be related…
But they can! Because when you deliver a speech or even your point of view to someone successfully, it’s pretty satisfying to say the least.
We all want to be heard and understood. So being able to articulate yourself eloquently and effectively is yet another way to feel like you’ve represented yourself best.
#3. Critical thinking skills from work will carry over
Remember how we mentioned that public speaking gets you to weigh both the positive and negative consequences of a scenario? Well, that skill set doesn’t just go away because the clock hits 5:00pm.
The more you develop a critical mindset, the easier it will be to implement into your everyday actions and thoughts. We weren’t kidding about that muscle metaphor.
#4. And so will communication skills in your personal life
Every relationship we have in life relies on communication. Verbal communication, body language, eye contact, the works.
So if public speaking helps you address a room full of people, just think of how it can improve your conversational style with somebody one-on-one. You may find that public speaking helps you improve your relationships.
Simply by virtue of the fact that you’re able to communicate better. As your parents likely told you about any relationship over a long period of time, “Communication is key.”
#5. Performance skills can also make you a better listener
This might seem counterintuitive. But public speaking can actually make you a better listener to others.
Especially if you take a public speaking course. We mentioned earlier that there will be plenty of other speakers in the class.
So it only makes sense that you’ll be listening to their work and taking any helpful tips from their public speaking that you can. Listening intently like this can also transfer to your personal interactions.
And besides, you’ll know that there is a time to perform. And a time to let others have their moment in the spotlight.
#6. May help you overcome fear of confrontation
At the beginning of this blog post, we talked about persuasive speech. Namely, how you might persuade your family which restaurant to buy takeout from on any given night.
Well, some may view this as a confrontation. Because confrontation comes in all shapes and sizes.
But public speaking gives you the tools to face confrontation head on and with confidence. So whether it’s about takeout or something much bigger, public speaking skills can help you organize your argument in a way that’s effective and impassioned.
That’s all, folks!
We told you there was a lot to be gained from public speaking! But we don’t want to rub it in that we were right.
So instead, we’ll just leave it at, “That’s all, folks!” Because we know when our time is up.
Keep Reading: What Is A Meeting Planner?
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Adam Christing is a professional comedy magician, virtual MC, and the founder of CleanComedians.com. He is a member of the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and a popular corporate entertainer, magician, and virtual speaker.