After watching the Academy Awards on Sunday night, I feel the need to address a weakness so many people struggle with. Public speaking is extremely difficult to master. Very few people are capable of standing in front of large audiences and delivering a message with elegance, style and grace.
World-famous actors, who are used to being in front of the camera for millions of people to critique, struggle from time to time. There were instances during that award show where someone would completely forget what they were saying after losing focus on the teleprompter. If these adults, who have performed in front of large audiences for decades, have trouble mastering the art of public speaking, what makes us students so sure of ourselves?
Often students will put off writing a speech or creating a presentation until the very last minute; only then do we throw something together just to fulfill the requirements. This is not a very good strategy for success.
The experts tell us to stand in front of the mirror and practice. Does anyone really do this? I don’t think I have ever given a speech or presentation to a mirror. This idea seems to be taking practice to the extreme. However, this could be why I am not an exceptionally talented public speaker. One of my few flaws, I know.
Business and politics are not the only careers where presenting your ideas to a group of people can take place frequently. There are many industries where a presentation of ideas, progress or plans will have to be presented to a listening public. It is important to develop these skills while we are in college and have plenty of opportunities to practice. Take your speech classes seriously.
I know so many students who completely dread having to stand in front of class and demonstrate an understanding of class material. I do not dread it but certainly do not look forward to it. Taking the time to build a thorough understanding of the material will give you the confidence to stand in front of your listening audience and deliver a solid performance.
We should think of it as a sport. Most of us have played a sport at some point in our lifetime that we were not naturally good at. It required hard work and dedication in order to build the skills required to play the game. Some gave up and decided they were not going to be a professional so there was no reason to practice. This is where public speaking is different.
It would be naive to think, “I am not going to be a public speaker so I do not need to practice.” Most of us will not become president of the United States or world-renowned motivational speakers. Nevertheless, having a basic skill set could take you a long way in your respected field. How great is an idea if you cannot present it to the group of people capable of making it a reality?
The lower-level classes we are forced to take to fulfill the speech requirement are designed to give us an opportunity to practice. Most speech professors are very understanding of the difficulties young people have when it comes to speaking in front of a group of peers. They are there to help, so we should utilize their services.
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