Whether you want to be a teacher, a businessman, or a scientist, public speaking will help you or your child be successful.
And yet, we don’t really learn public speaking formally in school. We spend so much time learning writing and grammar, but most of us don’t really invest time to become great verbal communicators.
Occasionally there are parents who don’t think public speaking is important because students are not graded on it. However, that attitude is short-sighted. Your child may not be graded now on public speaking, but his or her ability to communicate definitely affects his or her performance as a student, and it will certainly impact the trajectory of his or her career and life.
Why is Public Speaking Important for Students Numerous situations in school require students to speak up in front of classmates and teachers. These include oral reports, in-class reading, joint projects, assemblies, sports, school plays and school clubs.
While some kids appear to take to “be naturals”, others tend to be fearful. There are many underappreciated reasons all students should work on public speaking:
Communication skills Public speaking involves verbal as well as non-verbal communication, both of which are essential in getting your message across effectively. As children grow older, many teachers grade their students based on oral presentations for book reports, project presentations, or debates. Students with good public speaking skills stand out in a group and earn higher grades.
Self-Esteem Booster
By learning how to effectively speak in public, your child will be able to increase his or her own self-confidence. Did you know that public speaking is one of the most prevalent fears in the world? By speaking publicly on a regular basis, your child will enable himself or herself to master this difficult skill. In doing so, he or she will be less inclined to stumble over words, and build confidence. He or she will raise his or her hand up more confidently in class, speak up and engage in healthy debate when needed.
Inspirational Leader Even if your child does not hold an official leadership position, effective public speaking can help him or her become a thoughtful leader. One’s ability to lead is closely entwined with one’s ability to connect with and motivate one’s audience. The greatest leaders of our time are frequently also some of the best speakers of our time. In fact, their ability to speak clearly, compellingly, and charismatically are a big part of how they became leaders in the first place. If you aspire to follow in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln, Margaret Thatcher, Thich Nhat Hanh, or Mark Zuckerberg, developing public speaking skills helps people understand your mission. Followers need to know why they should work so hard and sacrifice their time and energy for this cause. Public speaking helps others feel and understand this.
Mark Zuckerberg was not a good public speaker when he first was CEO of Facebook, and he has worked incredibly hard at this skill over the years. Even CEOs of the biggest companies can keep working to improve. If they can work at it, so can the rest of us.
Give your child the means to achieve new milestones in 2021 — starting with laying a solid foundation of public speaking for the new year.
Join our academy today to learn how to sharpen your presentation skills, overcome the fear of public speaking, and master ways to deliver effective presentations each and every time. Brush up on your public speaking skills and become an effective presenter here!
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