Make Them Speak (Publicly) by Alexis

Make Them Speak (Publicly) by Alexis - August 2017 Scholarship Essay

Public speaking is one of the few topics that absolutely terrifies most people simply by thinking about it. Why? Because many people lack the ability to effectively speak publicly. Being able to speak publicly is a vital skill for social interactions throughout one’s life. This could include presenting a project in front of a college class or giving a speech at your best friend’s wedding. It could be accepting an award at a company holiday party or giving a sales pitch at a big meeting. There are opportunities everywhere to speak publicly, so it absolutely baffles me that lacking public speaking skills is such a relevant problem, especially in college-aged students. If I were a college professor, I would teach public speaking because of the personal benefits that come with the ability, such as adequate social communication, well-developed critical thinking skills, and the ability to speak with conviction. I feel that everyone should develop these abilities and as a college professor, I would make it my mission to help that become a reality.
While opportunities for speaking publicly vary significantly, they all have one aspect in common: they are all interactions with other people. What many people fail to understand when it comes to public speaking is that the way they interact with the audience does more for their speech than the actual speech. Improving your public speaking skills is simply a matter of improving your communication skills. I’ve always felt that only five percent of communication is what you’re saying, they rest is how you say it. Body language and tone of voice can completely change the meaning of what a speaker is saying. One of the benefits of possessing well-developed public speaking skills is that you often possess well-developed interpersonal communication abilities as well. This can lead to improved relationships with friends and family, a more productive working environment, and more fulfilling general social interactions. As a professor, I would teach my students that a good public speaker is aware of these things and how to use them to their advantage.
Another benefit of maintaining public speaking abilities is the development of critical thinking. Being capable of thinking critically is crucial in order to succeed in modern society because of the competitive nature of both the education system and the workforce. As a professor, I would use opportunities for my students to speak publicly as a way to hone their critical thinking abilities. Having to consider the type of audience that they’re speaking to and the appropriateness of their topic or word choice is an example of how critical thinking skills can be applied. Impromptu speeches, while intimidating, also challenge a speaker in a way that forces them to think quickly and crucially about what they are going to say. I believe that critical thinking is applicable to all careers and that employers are keen to hire candidates who can do so, making it pertinent that students master the ability before entering the workforce.
Something that also comes with refined public speaking skills is the capability of speaking with conviction. As a college professor, I think it would be difficult to read papers or listen to conversations when students are only participating because they receive credit for doing so. Often, this means that the message being thrown around doesn’t actually possess any meaning behind it and can lead to rambling. Public speaking is different from writing a paper in the sense that it becomes quite obvious when a speaker doesn’t understand or care about the subject they’re discussing. I would teach my students that in order to effectively get a point across, they must understand the meaning of their words. I believe that it is important, when speaking publicly and inter-personally, to speak what you truly believe. Doing so can change the opinion, attitude, and actions of an audience when done well.
Being able to effectively speak publicly is, in my opinion, one of the most versatile abilities an individual can have. Public speaking helps to develop skills that a person will use throughout their life like adequate communication abilities, critical thinking, and speaking with conviction. These skills help an individual advance in school, the workforce, and their personal lives. If I were a college professor I would chose to teach public speaking because of witnessing the lack of public speaking skills college students possess. It is important to me that students learn how to speak publicly because of the many personal benefits that come with the ability and I feel that it is unfortunate they are having to go without.