Why Do You Need to Take a Public Speaking Course?

Public speaking is like marmite! Some of us love it, some of us hate it. It is also a bit like driving, some of us take to it very easily while others may need more encouragement and patience. Whether you are a teacher reading this, or a business or political leader or maybe you are hoping to start a successful public speaking career. 

You want to feel confident, hold eye contact, improve communication skills and perhaps get booked for more speaking gigs. It is not so much what we say but how we say it! Hence the many adaptations and retellings of Cinderella!

Who are the Best Public Speakers in History?

If you want to become better at public speaking then you first need to understand who the best public speakers are, so you can see the monumental impact they had.

JFK

John Kennedy is famous for being the 35th President of the United States. The main reason why JFK was so good at speaking is because he was able to use tones to try and emphasise the message that he wanted to convey. 

He also used effective repetition, to push the message behind his speech. When you combine this with the authenticity of his voice and message, it’s not hard to see why he is one of the most talented and well-respected speakers of his generation.

Martin Luther King Jr

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist. He is seen as being one of the most provoking speakers of his era and his “I Have a Dream” speech has gone down in history. As one of the best public speakers in the world, he often tried to bring about a positive amount of change with his words, not to mention that he was also known for carrying out peaceful protests as well. 

He was able to share his vision with his listeners and he was very consistent with what he stood for. 

He also made sure that he repeated the main theme throughout his message, ensuring that the audience always had a clear understanding of what he wanted to convey.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill is known for writing some of the most powerful speeches in history. What made him stand out is the fact that he was speaking for the audience, rather than to them. 

He often referred to the audience as “we” rather than “you” which helped people to feel as though they were on the same page, and that they were in it together. This made him one of the top agents for public speakers.

Why Should You Sign up for a Public Speaking Course?

Learning to be a public speaker and improving your presentation skills confidence is possible and more accessible than you might think. 

Perhaps you have a fear of public speaking courses and cringe at the thought of being in a room full of people with the spotlight on you. Well, you can opt for private public speaking coaching.

If it is more the time and the logistics, public speaking lessons are one click away. Just google the best public speaking course online and you will be able to choose from a variety of affordable options.

Finally if money is an obstacle, it doesn't have to be! Variety of free public speaking courses are also  advertised online. They can be free or partially free, check out skills share or youtube for a good place to start.

Some Universities integrate this into their syll;abus University of Washington.  And some like London’s Goldsmiths offer short courses and day workshops that tackle an impressive breadth of topics relating to Public Speaking including public speaking anxiety.

Non University affiliated London public speaking courses offer everything from free workshops to 1 on 1 training.

Career Advancement

Effective public speaking can help you to advance your career. It can also indicate critical thinking, creativity, leadership abilities and even professionalism. These are all very valuable qualities when you look at the job market in general. 

Boosting your Confidence

Public speaking is one of the best ways for you to rocket your confidence. Overcoming insecurity is empowering, and on top of this, it can help you to connect with your audience too. 

Your confidence levels will grow when you take a public speaking class, and this can benefit you across every aspect of your life. Studies have been done by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and they have found that those who do participate in public speaking experience a huge boost to their confidence. 

This is even the case for those who are between the age of 9 and 18, which just goes to show that it is not just adults or busy professionals who can reap the benefits.

Critical Thinking

Public speaking is one of the best ways for you to boost your critical thinking skills. The great thing about writing a speech is that it requires a lot of thought. You have to think about the audience that you are trying to market to and you also need to think about your closing sentences. 

Personal Development

Confident presentation skills and body language are impactful in a professional career. Improving your public speaking skills is an investment worth considering. You can do this in a number of ways. 

• Online courses that provide public speaking training
• Coaching sessions 

 If you are asked to prepare a speech then this forces you to take a step back and think about the best way for you to get your point across. Don’t forget the power of relaxation methods such as breathing techniques

In everyday life, it’s easy for you to fall back on skills such as this, and by undertaking a course, you will soon find that you can get the biggest benefits and in the shortest period of time.

So taking a public speaking course is one of the best things you can do if you want to overcome your public speaking fear. Professional speaking is one of the best skills you could hope to develop and some of the greatest public speakers in history have caused a worldwide change, purely because of the words that they chose to use to convey their point.