Is public speaking required in college? YES!!! And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Maya Angelou said, “People won’t remember what you said; people won’t also remember what you did. But people will remember how you made them feel.”
Indeed, good public speakers know how to make their audience feel involved and invested in their speech. Moreover, when you fearlessly and confidently share your information on stage, your peers and your seniors start admiring you.
Studies show that public speaking helps students to succeed in college. Despite that several students think they can work on their public speaking skills after college graduation.
But here’s where they are wrong. Students need public speaking skills throughout their college life.
Why College Students Need Public Speaking Skills?
Public speaking involves gathering a large amount of information on a topic given and presenting it in front of peers and professors. Public speaking helps students to organize data and present it in a practical manner, thus making them better researchers and communicators.
It is a fantastic skill, and there are several reasons to take public speaking seriously.
1. Career development
Your career development is the first reason you need public speaking skills in your college. Your public speaking skills will help you get noticed as a leader.
Research shows public speaking helps college students develop professionalism and poise from an early stage.
You stand in front of professors and often, job recruiters and deliver long speeches. So, you know you have to bring something new on the table when you speak.
Public speaking helps you to:
- Get your point across
- Enable your critical thinking skills
- Get people to notice your leadership skills
- Build organizational communication
- Attract your professors’ attention
- Receive top grad school recommendation
- Get good career opportunities
2. Personal development
Another significant importance of public speaking skills is personal development.
College is the first step to the adult world, and now you are expected to think and speak like a pro. So, attaining public speaking skills will help you to develop as a person.
Public speaking involves building teams, researching, and planning in-depth speeches. So, once you get to accomplish all these tasks successfully, you gain self-confidence.
Gaining self-confidence lets you:
- Build interpersonal communication skills
- Hone critical thinking skills
- Make meaningful and social connections
- Make smarter life choices and become successful
3. Finding your voice
Public speaking is the best way to find perspective and give value to your thoughts.
When you first start public speaking in college, you meet different people and watch various speakers who influence you.
However, as time goes by and you gain more knowledge in your subject matter, without getting influenced by others.
Finding your voice helps you to:
- Practice the habit of creating and free-thinking
- Explore multiple ideas and come to a concrete conclusion
- Find your inner passion and take steps to achieve it
- Start sharing your thoughts with the world
4. Benefit others
The fourth importance of public speaking is to help others gain knowledge from your sharing. When you speak about various topics, like how the concept of .com came to be, you enlighten your peers and help them to learn about new matters.
By orating, you get to:
- Teach people about new ideas
- Help others to lead in a new direction
- Help others to think critically
- Help others to communicate socially
Before we move on to the tips, read where you can hone your public speaking skills.
Is Public Speaking even a skill? We know it is a must. But what is it?
Know all about it and how to learn public speaking and take one step in your career.
How to Hone your Public Speaking Skills in College?
Places a college student needs to show their public speaking skills are umpteen. As a college student, you must use these public spaces as your practice grounds.
Here are 5 places fit for a college student to practice public speaking other than their classroom:
1. Public places like libraries and events
Places like local events or a library will help you eliminate your inner fear and grow as a public speaker. Local wards and municipalities often organize events like debates and elocution, where anyone can participate.
Speaking of public events, libraries hold regular seminars and book club meetings where you can take part and test your public speaking skills.
All you have to do is become a member of these libraries, keep an eye on their events, and participate in them.
2. By Joining Meetup Groups
Meetup groups are an excellent idea to practice public speaking. You can join academic groups at your university and arrange meetings with them. It will help you meet new people and see how several people are trying to come out of their cocoons.
Joining groups will help you make new friends who share similar interests. And before you know it, you will become a great public speaker.
3. Public Speaking Classes
Enrolling in a public speaking course is the first step to enhancing your skills. These classes have professionals who will train you to speak effectively in front of an audience and on a professional level.
You will learn to differentiate between single and group presentations. And you will also learn and prepare according to your speech pattern and competitors.
The best thing about these courses is that you don’t have to go anywhere to attend the classes physically. You can join online sessions and learn innovative ways to speak. These courses are more skill-based, so you don’t have to worry about learning the subject matter.
Check out EnthuZiastic Public Speaking Courses to learn with the best teachers.
4. At your home
Ah, home, sweet home! Where else can you work on your skills and become the best version of yourself? Your home is not a public forum, so, you don’t have to worry about an audience judging you.
It’s your comfort zone where you can practice what you have learned, make mistakes, and prepare for public speaking events. Your parents, siblings, or friends (whoever you live with) can help you with your practice.
You can use these places to sharpen your public speaking skills. Now it’s time to learn some tips to help you become a great public speaker.
Learn Public Speaking in a fun way.
Play these fun games with your friends and family to become a better public speaker.
3 Tips to Become a Good Public Speaker
Before I start with the tips, remember, you deserve to be an excellent public speaker. Neither Tony Robbins nor Oprah Winfrey were born eloquent speakers
They worked hard, overcame innumerable challenges, and refused to give up. Thus they have received the success they deserved. Now that our TED Talks session is over (just kidding), let’s get back to the tips.
Here are 3 essential tips to help you become a top-notch public speaker.
1. You have to be the giver
I believe in every word of the above statement. If you want to take your public speaking skills to the next level, you must share your knowledge and become a giver.
You are not on stage to gather praises and applause; you are up there because you care. You have to come up with new information about something and share it. Most importantly, you have to make your audience feel they are also part of your activity.
2. You have to be Authentic
Before you take over the podium, ask yourself, “How do I feel about it?” Don’t focus on what you have to say, but why you have to say it.
When you rehearse your speech, try to feel why this topic is important, and how you resonate with it. Once you identify your emotions and find out the reason behind your speech, you will be unstoppable.
And remember, facts without emotions won’t bring life to your arguments, and most importantly, they won’t engage the audience.
3. You need to be Aware
Awareness is the key to connecting you with the audience. However, you must be aware of yourself before you take the podium and deliver your speech.
Some speakers, present accurate facts and arguments while giving their speeches, yet they need help to hold their audience. That’s because they don’t know, what they want, and thus cannot present their speech.
According to Business News Daily, Self-awareness is the key to becoming a public speaker and leader. So, you must understand yourself and how you want to engage your audience with your speech. Once you figure that out, it’s a piece of cake.
With these tips engage your audience and become a confident public speaker while you are in college. Remember, you have what it takes to become an orator. Best of luck!
FAQs
Why is public speaking required in college?
Public speaking skills bring multitudes of opportunities for your career. It helps you to find out your inner passions and enables you to gather confidence, which you require as a college student. So, to build a better career for yourself and become more socially connected, you need public speaking.
All my classmates take public speaking classes. Do I need it too?
While you can practice public speaking on your own, joining a course is best. A speaking coach has substantial knowledge about improving public speaking skills. So, you will learn the exact techniques of public speaking and improve in no time.
How many times do I need to prepare for a speech?
There is no rule or time bound for rehearsing public speeches. You can rehearse as much or as little as you want to. However, you must know that your audience wants you to give your best. So, when you feel you are prepared for your public speech, you are ready to go.
Become a Leader
Master the art of public speaking. Learn with the best teachers.
Parting thoughts
Public speaking is an essential and life-changing skill that one requires. You cannot escape public speaking at any point in your life.
You will need this skill from high school to college and a job to help you grow. So, instead of thinking about is public speaking required in college, find ways to enhance this skill and move your audience from the core.