Public Speaking is a skill that everyone will need to use in their life at some point in time. In fact, everyone uses public speaking in their daily life through interpersonal communication without ever understanding or mastering the art Public Speaking. There are a vast number of consequences to the lack of ability to speak publicly. However, there are a greater number of benefits to possessing this vital skill. The following is why Public Speaking is such a valuable skill.
Although there are several consequences to not being able to speak in a public setting, we will focus on what some believe are the most visible. When trying to voice one’s opinions publicly, some struggle with clearly and concisely getting their main ideas across to the listeners. Another consequence is stage fright, which is the most common and most feared cost of being unable to speak in public. With the lack of the ability to speak publicly certain opportunities may be forgone, especially in the professional job market.
Not conveying thoughts and ideas into words properly could cause the listeners to lose interest, misunderstand, or even completely not comprehend what the message may even be. It is incredibly important in any conversation to keep your listeners attention. Even worse, the listener could misinterpret the message and respond or feel differently than was intended by the speaker. Although the speaker may have the listeners’ attention, comprehension is not guaranteed. In order to ensure comprehension, the speaker must learn to speak at the listeners’ level.
Everyone has been there at some point in their life, frozen with fear and unable to speak clearly or even form the next sentence in their head. We all know and fear stage fright. According to Vijai P. Sharma, Ph.D in the 1996 article entitled 90 Percent of People Feel Stage Fright found on the Mind Publications web site, “ Ninety percent of people feel stage fright when they face the