PUBLIC SPEAKING INTRODUCTION LESSON

Of course, even if you're never called upon to vocalize your own ideas in front of others, learning how to effectively speak in public will increase your confidence, make you more comfortable with other people, and fine tune your communication – both verbal and written – skills. Before you can achieve those benefits, however, there are two important things that you have to learn first: 1) Why public speaking is important and 2) How to overcome stage fright.

 

Importance of Public Speaking

Public speaking is not a new trend. Unlike what some people believe, it wasn't invented by cruel educators who wanted to put children on the spot in front of their peers. In fact, people have been speaking in public since humans first developed the ability to talk.

 

However, public speaking didn't become a formal tradition that quickly. The first handbook detailing the how-to's of public speaking was written in Egypt more than 4500 years ago. Of course, the advice given to public speaking students today isn't quite that ancient. Most of our rules and techniques, particularly when it comes to the art of persuasion, come from guidelines written by Aristotle, a Greek philosopher in the 3rd century B. C.

 

Before you dismiss his advice as outdated, you need to realize that every effective public speaker from John F. Kennedy to Martin Luther King Jr. have incorporated Aristotle's teachings into their presentations. That's because his methods worked then, and they still work now. Some things simply don't change much over time.

 

As I stated in the Introduction, public speaking is a skill that everyone needs to learn. Let me give you three reasons why that's true:

 

1. Almost every one of us will be involved in public speaking in some form at some point in our lives, so we need to be prepared to do a good job when that time comes.

 

2. Employers consistently rank public speaking and related communication skills as one of the top skills they look for in employees.

 

3. Being an effective public speaker gives you the tools to make a difference in your business, in your community, even in the world.

 

While it may be difficult to feel grateful for the chance to practice your public speaking skills when you are behind a podium and staring out into a sea of eyes, that type of practice is what will help you experience the benefits listed above.

 

 

	For a teaching lesson plan for this lesson, and for more lessons on business and careers see:  Teaching Earning Money and Careers
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