Public speaking is no longer a soft skill

Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Charity Water, Business Insider, Ernst & Young, HBO, Columbia University, etc. would concur. Over the last 7 years they have spent tens of thousands of dollars, if not much more, on getting their people trianed and skilled in public speaking, presentations and media emergencies (seems like a lot of those these days). Ted and TedX speakers gain a lot of cred, and they are some of the most watched videos on YouTube.

Ubiquitous perhaps, but still a minority. And for those in the training, or public speaking business, booming is the biz.

If one can teach this, you can make some decent bux in your spare time too.

GordonJ

PS. One of the fastest growing and most popular classes being taught in this area is the IMPROV class, which makes executives think on their feet. I think many in politics need this, so much foot from mouth extraction these days, and so much walking back what was said. Say it right the first time, or keep thy mouth shut, Mommie used to say.

yeah, that is a good skill, and easy to learn actually. but very high return skill.

It's pretty easy to do. If you are just relaxed, and talking about a subject you care about...it's pretty easy to get a standing ovation...and sustained applause.

What is very hard to do..is actually sell something from the stage. I doubt that there are 500 people in the country that can do that consistently.

Talking is easy. Selling is hard. And selling to a large number of people from a stage....is a monumental task.

But speaking to people without asking them to actually do anything? As long as you don't belch or swear...you'll be OK.

Video, talks & presentations demand key dialog skills -- yet still plenty people clam up, speak way too fast, don't fully engage their audience an' stuffs.

But there is whole bunch people can do to tip stuff in their favor, easy to learn & apply.

First, havin' a surefire script really helps.

Don't take much to memorize the key points so you can sound natchrl an' spontaneous, an' it is easy to practice on your fave teddy bear.

130, 140 words per minute gonna sound real easy & laid back, but that depends on your regulah voice.

Any more & hey sorry, you a Disney charactah on speed.

Drop below 110 or 100, you gonna sound drugged or drunk.

Most phones, tabs & laptops got simple record features, so you can experiment real easy.

Start with a finite word count, an' a subject don't mattah too much, with nuthin' ridin' on it, jus' so you can play with sum words, see how your voice feels & sounds.

Gotta watch for PLOSIVE B & P sounds blowin' the mic away.

This is important bcs unless all your vowel sounds are clear, you gonna sound like you slurrin' & your audience gotta work real hard to understand your message.

Read cardboard, stuff don't mattah, jus' to get a feel for your voice & watch for speed & clarity.

You got a pal, try readin' stuff out from 20 feet away. First, you'll wana 'project' or shout or do too much, but jus' see how much you can pull back on the effort so your intention does the work.

Soon as you start on your own material -- all the stuff you got passion for -- you gonna exagerrate all your vocal faults. You WILL speed up, you WILL P-P-P-P & B-B-B the mic away.

Same gonna happen when you got an IRL audience or you recordin' your first vid or podcast.

You will OVERDO stuff, an' compromise on sound, diction & easy vocalisation.

Key always is to think 'bout Simon Cowell on X Factor when he got gals screechin' their asses off to no good effect.

"Think about the words," he says. "Think about the people you're singing to, and intend for them to hear the message."


That stops all the shoutin', gowin' OTT etc & keeps focus on delivery essentials.

Thing is, the sound wants to come out, it is jus' an extension of the out breath.

When we figure speakin' is 'hard' -- bcs we real concerned about our super important message, or we worried our audience won't get it, or we think we ain't so good speakin' in public -- we clam up evrythin' the larynx gotta do.

So factor in the demands step by step.

Read cardboard, jus' to practice timin', clarity.

Read to your teddy bear or pal, jus' to see how this small demand changes what you do.

See what changes when you swap out readin' stuff you don't care about to readin' YOUR ALL-IMPORTANT BIG STORY.

A few weeks observin' & practisin' gonna be invaluable when you record or speak out loud for real.

Here is when you start to relax, feel more confident 'bout your material & can watch for vocal tricks that get in the way.

Having strong public speaking skills is certainly a major asset for corporate executives, would-be influencers and aspiring entrepreneurs (in spite of Richard Branson's lack in that area), but one of the advantages of internet marketing is that you don't need to speak in public if you don't want to. It's not a critical skill in affiliate marketing, email marketing, product creation or most freelancing, to use just a few examples.

Sure, looking good in your own sales video takes practice, but it's not so intimidating when you can correct your mistakes before going live.

So DAN PENA recommends everyone join Toastmasters Club in their area

Claude those big six figure speeker fees.

That for headliners and people who will get more people in the venue .

Or in the case of the political connected . To get access to those connections.

If you are creating content or YouTube videos , anything that can build an audience overtime . Public speaking skills can be the main way you monetize that audience .or the size of the audience .

Many authors don't make as much off their books as they make of speaches about the subject they write the books on. The books just put them on the contact lists when people want a speaker.

Claude probable can explain it better. He explained most of it