Being able to speak well can be an asset in many work situations.
Fear of public speaking is common: the pounding heart, the shaking legs, and the suddenly dry mouth that can occur when you get up in front of a large group to make a presentation or deliver a speech. And while many jobs don’t require you to get up in front of a large group of people on a regular basis, fears related to that of public speaking can hold you back from speaking up in other ways at work as well.
How Public Speaking Skills Help at Work Every Day
If you’ve ever frozen up when trying to ask your supervisor for more resources, for help with a problem, or for a raise, you can probably benefit from some of the same skills taught in public speaking. If you’ve ever wanted to (but didn’t) offer an insight to your team because you couldn’t figure out how to say it well, you could also benefit from public speaking skills on a smaller scale. A good public speaking course teaches organization, preparation, and poise, all of which are beneficial in both professional and non-professional life.
The more you work on your public speaking skills, the less nervous you will be about expressing yourself, and the easier the right words will come to you in those really important situations that could mean the difference between getting a raise or feeling unappreciated, or between making a good impression on the new supervisor and fading into the woodwork unnoticed. Learning to give a speech improves confidence, and helps build skills that assist with professional networking and with job situations like asking for a raise or promotion.
Learning public speaking skills can lead to advancement or leadership roles at work.
If you’ve ever approached a situation at work with dread for the way you fear you will put your foot in your mouth or watched the situation escalate because you just don’t know the right thing to say to keep things calm and even, a public speaking course could help you face those kinds of situations without sending your blood pressure up and giving you indigestion at lunchtime.
Public speaking can teach skills that help people remain calm in stressful situations, which is useful in any job no matter how far down you are on the totem pole. And if you have any aspirations for climbing up higher, you can bet that the hiring team will look carefully at your communication skills and how you have handled yourself in these smaller situations that you confront on a daily or weekly basis.
There are very few, if any jobs that couldn’t benefit from the same skills used in public speaking, including knowing when to speak up and when to stay quiet, thinking about what you will say before you say it, and learning how to say a lot in a few words. CCSU’s Introduction to Public Speaking course is the perfect foundation for a new future at work where your words make you stand out (in a positive way) to everyone around you and distinguish you from the timid and unarticulate crowd.
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