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Brendan
I am a professional educator by trade, but by my definition, I am much more than that. I wear many hats; including, but not limited to, Father, Husband, Son, Step-Father, Ex-Husband, Entrepreneur, Public Speaker, Super Geek (love technology), Trainer, Coach, Student, Writer, Dreamer, and Leader. For fun I am an avid golfer and consider myself a blessed individual because I have the greatest wife in the world that loves to golf with me.
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Monday, August 1, 2011

Introduction: The Benefits of Public Speaking


Why should you become really good at public speaking?

The ability to speak confidently and convincingly in public is an asset to anyone who wants to take an active role in the classroom, workplace, and community. Mastering the skills of public speaking will accelerate your professional and personal goals.

Let me repeat that. MASTERING THE SKILLS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING WILL ACCELERATE YOUR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL GOALS.

Public speaking is a vital part of communication, and effective communication is critical to living successfully and happily in today’s society. There have been studies that have shown “a direct correlation between how well you communicate and how well you are satisfied with life.” Unless you live on a deserted island with a volleyball named Wilson, there is a good chance that you will need to master your oratory and nonverbal skills while incorporating and understanding the appropriate uses of rhetoric (if not for your personal and professional success, at least for your personal happiness).

Side note- Rhetoric is how we use (or study) language effectively and persuasively, or as the ancient Greeks said, “The use of words to change ideas.”

In a job survey performed by the National Association and Colleges and Employers, they found that the top personal qualities and skills rated by Employers included:

  • Communication skills (written and verbal)
  • Honesty/integrity
  • Interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
  • Motivation/initiative
  • Strong work ethic
  • Teamwork skills (works well with others)
As you can see, all of these tie into communication skills directly or indirectly.

Enhancing your ability to communicate through public speaking will:
  1. Help you more quickly accomplish your personal and professional goals (and most likely achieve even a higher success than what you imagined).
  2. Enhance your career as a student, employee, employer, family member, and all the different social circles (social networks) you belong to.
  3. Allow you to explore and share your values. (Speaking to an audience whose knowledge or opinions differ than your own can quite rewarding).
  4. Allow you to hone in your critical thinking skills and listening skills.
Please respond to one (or more) of the following questions.

  1. How will public speaking help you accomplish your goals or how have you seen public speaking help you accomplish your goals?
  2. How can public speaking help you enhance your career or how has it helped you in your career?
  3. Why would speaking to an audience that does not share your some views be rewarding or have you had an opportunity to speak to an audience that does not share your views- what did it feel like and how did it turn out? What would you have done differently?
  4. How does public speaking enhance your critical thinking skills and listening skills?

49 comments:

Dana Raine said...

Public speaking has helped me to accomplish my goals in the past, and will continue to help me accomplish my goals in the future. I have never had a fear of public speaking, and over the last few years I have been able to get more practice and become better at speaking in front of an audience. Preparation is a tool that I use to calm my nerves before I give a talk, speech, or Emcee an event. As long as I am prepared, I am usually able to be an effective speaker. Public speaking has helped me reach two large goals in my life thus far. I gave a speech at school and was subsequently voted as student body president. I also gave a power point presentation at work, which led to a pay raise. I hope to continue to build upon my public speaking skills. I know that whatever field I go into, (even I decide to be a stay at home mom), that public speaking will always be a valuable skill for me to have.

Kati Mason said...

I will be answering question three. When I was in middle school, I would always stay up really late and watch T.V. Well on one particular night an infomercial came on called Feed The Children, it was probably the saddest thing I had ever watched. It really upset me enough to where the very next day I went to my principle and asked him if I could start a fundraiser type thing at my school to raise money to send them, of course he let me and I had to speak in front of the entire middle school. I was so nervous I had no idea what they were going to think cause when I had approached some of my classmates telling them what I was doing, I got the weirdest look and they kind of laughed at me, so I thought that is how the entire school would look at me, but I got up there anyways and I started my speech, I kind of put them in the needy children's position. I asked them to look at the person next to them and if they were starving or needed help, would they give them even a quarter? I was so surprised on how it ended up, within a week of having the jar there, I had raised 200 dollars. Some girl came up and gave me a 20 dollar bill. What I had said really influenced them and made them really think about what is going on in the rest of the world. I think what I would have done differently is I would have researched it a lot more and had visual aids, like a Powerpoint with pictures. But all in all it went out perfect and I raised money to a school I thought would never help me out.

Jensen S. said...

Public speaking will help me in my future career of Law. Public speaking will allow me to be able to properly articulate my arguments to clients, juries, fellow attorneys, and judges. It will help me to be comfortable with speaking and arguing on a large scale. Being more comfortable will allow me to be more honest with what I am speaking about. It will help me to be confident therefore my nervousness will not cause me to speak out of my butt or be deceiving. I also feel that learning how to properly speak publically will allow me to better understand my personal strengths and weaknesses and continue to develop my character through pushing myself. By building myself up in this aspect it will also help me in my interpersonal relationships both job related and personal related. It will probably allow me to better communicate (both articulate/listen) with my wife, and for all of us in intimate relationships know that that always allows for more happiness! :)

Jensen S. said...

Public speaking will aid me in my profession because that is what I will be doing in Law. Public speaking will allow me to be able to properly articulate my arguments to clients, juries, fellow attorneys, and judges. It will help me to be comfortable with speaking and arguing on a large scale. Being more comfortable will allow me to be more honest with what I am speaking about. It will help me to be confident therefore my nervousness will not cause me to speak out of my butt or be deceiving. I also feel that learning how to properly speak publically will allow me to better understand my personal strengths and weaknesses and continue to develop my character through pushing myself. By building myself up in this aspect it will also help me in my interpersonal relationships both job related and personal related. It will probably allow me to better communicate (both articulate/listen) with my wife, and for all of us in intimate relationships know that that always allows for more happiness! :)

Ryan Tippetts said...

I have had many opportunities to speak in front of an audience that does not share my same views. It is rewarding because it gives both parties the opportunity for understanding. I specifically remember a time where I was asked to speak to a small group of people who did not like or accept some changes we made in policies. At the end we realized that we just misunderstood each other. After clearly describing what was being asked they were all in agreement and enthused to make the switch. Public speaking helped us come to an understanding, and would have saved us time if we introduced the policy correctly the first time(using better public speaking skills). In the business field it is critical and rewarding to get your point across effectively, efficiently, and correctly the first time. Next time I will try to be more clear on what i'm trying to say, and understand what they are hearing.

Gary Magee said...

In the profession that I am pursuing being able to speak in public is the most important aspect of the job. As a on air radio personality I have seen first hand how the abilty to speek in public can make or break you. I started in radio at the age of eighteen. My first time speaking into a microphone was on live radio to thousands of listeners! From that piont on any fear I had about speaking in public was gone. I hope to gain as much knowlage about public speaking as possable so I can move even farther on in my proffesion. I love talking to people, be it on the radio or face to face and I believe you can never know enough about anything.

Nate Hanks said...

Public speaking is something I have used in the past, i hope to become better at in the futuer.It is my personal beliefe that a person can only get better at speaking in public by speaking in public! I have used my limited speaking ability to teach children, teach adults,and make money. I hope that as I improve at speaking I will be a better teacher, and in the end, make more money. One of my passions is to teach people about reptiles, pythons in particular. I have collected pythons for 15 years and i love them almost as much as i love people. Over the last ten years I have shown my snakes at public events, day cares, elementry schools, high schools, and colleges. Handeling a 12 foot snake and a croud of 100 or more at the same time is both exhilarating and exhausting. Holding a 4 foot boa constrictor on a stage while keeping the audience focused takes a dynamic presentation. It is important to show patience with the croud, and safe handeling of the reptile. Becoming better at speaking is key, so that it comes natural, this way I can focus on bringing the audience to life while teaching important lessons about concervation, saftey, and respect for nature and other people. While feeeling confident, and accomplished myself.

Anonymous said...

When I decided to take this class I was thinking about how public speaking would help me in the "real world". After attending class on tuesday I realized that it will have a much bigger influence than I thought. Having the ability to communicate to a large or small audience is CRUCIAL in the work environment. I worked on a sales team for the summer and it was amazing to see how we could motivate each other through powerful speaking. At the moment I do not have a set career path. I see public speaking as a tool that I can use to find and succeed with any given career that I choose. My aunt recently had an interview at the hospital. She met before a group of people holding various management positions. Because she was able to speak to them freely and confidently the interview went amazingly well and she was asked to come back for a second interview! Having the ability to express yourself and your ideas confidently to others is a skill I want to be able to use in my future.

Holly Marie said...

In practicing my public speaking skills for my career path, I have found it slowly brings me success by building my confidence. Not that my job requires me to speak in front of large groups of people but it does quite often require me to say no to a customer and try to avoid getting into a heated argument or making the customer upset of course. This is such a small example but I can tell that the more I do it and the better I work on things like keeping eye contact, watching the tone and speed of my talking and the hardest, keeping a pleasant face! In a greater scheme, the principles from this class will help me reach my goal of getting my bachelors degree in interpersonal communications and then hopefully become a social worker. I think especially with social work, you really need to have those interpersonal and listening skills. I will have to be trained in speaking just right to my clients and be perfect in how I give my words. I know I can do it!

Wesley Bledsoe said...

My life has been enhanced in many ways because of my ability to speak publicly. One aspect of my life that it has improved is my critical thinking and listening skills. As I have developed my public speaking skills have grown to have almost sick obsession with speaking in front of people. This can be a blessing and a curse when sitting and listening to others speak. I find myself critiquing every speech I watch and will get frustrated when it is clear someone has thrown together a talk. You really understand the importance of listening to a presentation when you have been on the wrong end of a bored audience that is finding ways to entertain themselves during your speech. Not only has this effected how I listen to presentations but it has increased my ability to listen in more intimate situations. Turns out girls like having a guy around that will put in the time to listen and add to a conversation. Who knew? Having the mindset of a presenter has really changed my perspective on how to solve problems and present solutions in my speech and writing as well. Some of my most successful presentations have originated from the idea that there is more than one answer to most questions. When I have taken a topic and presented it a unique way I have seen it catch an audiences attention and hold it. I found that you can lose an audience a lot easier than you can gain it’s attention. Understanding this has really helped find creative ways to present topics.

Kristin Heywood said...

Question 3:
I grew up in Portland, Oregon where there are not many people who share the same beliefs as I do. There have been numerous times when I have shared my religious views with people who believe differently than I do. I think this is a great opportunity! It can open doors to great conversation from both sides and helps you stay open minded and well rounded. In my experience, MOST people will respect what you believe and what you have to say as long as the respect is mutual. I've also learned that sometimes it can feel a bit frightening to share beliefs or views that are so foreign or unheard of to some people, but as long as I present it clearly and confidently, what you have to say is valid to the listener(s). And I've learned this to be true in any type of public speaking.

Camille Ipson said...

Although I do not have a clear idea on what I want to pursue as a career, I feel that public speaking goes hand in hand with any career choice. With public speaking you have to be able to market yourself as well as your company. The fear of speaking in front of a crowed is something that has never affected me, but I struggle with getting my point across clearly and annunciating my words through-out my speech. Being straight out of High School I have not had the opportunity to have a career but participating on the Taylorsville Drill Team for three years has given me the privilege of learning public speaking skills. I have learned from being interviewed by local news stations, school assembly’s, teaching choreography, and many other opportunities. I hope to widen my public speaking skills and learn to eliminate my defaults in this class.

NielsenPorter said...

I unfortunately had ample opportunity to speak to many audiences who didn't share my views during my stay in Japan. During nearly every speech I gave, to both large and small audiences, I found great difficulty in both my inability to fully express my ideas in Japanese, and the lack of interest shown forth by my audience. I didn't keep track but I feel secure in saying that I had similar experiences at least a hundred times over. Although frustration and annoyance were my constant companions throughout the bulk of these experiences, I slowly learned to apply the knowledge gleaned from my failure to future speeches. Rather than allow myself pointless indignation at what I perceived to be ignorance from the majority of Japanese people, I started focusing on my audience and adapting my speeches to their culture. I quit using sarcasm, I picked up a great Three-Stooges-like sense of humor, and I dropped all ambiguity from my rhetoric, choosing instead to succinctly deliver a message not requiring personal interpretation. This may be difficult to understand for anyone unfamiliar with Japanese culture, but in my experience they were notoriously incapable of individual thought or finding shades of gray between the black and white, thus someone from a western culture has a hard time persuading them to do anything. It was through my poor speeches that I learned these truths about my audience, and rather than try and change the spectators, I learned to change my deliverance and believe I became a much more capable public speaker in the process.

Kahri Golden said...

How will public speaking help you accomplish your goals or how have you seen public speaking help you accomplish your goals?

Public speaking will help me out tremendously in life. It will help with with not only my career, but with the little things in life that you need to get by. As of right now I want to major in Business administration. I need to be able to communicate with not only my employees, but with my clients as well. I believe with class will make me more comfortable with speaking with others and it will help me be able to get my point across to people a little better. By taking this class, my confidence will be at a higher level. In the business world i believe that if you have great confidence with yourself you will go further in the industry.

Brandon Wagstaff said...

Speaking to an audience that does not share your same views is very challenging and rewarding. If you are passionate about your point of view, than speaking about it should be relatively simple. The reason that this type of public speaking is challenging is because you have one chance to gain the confidence and trust of people that you do not know, or at least not know very well. With this challenge also comes with it the opportunity of being rewarded. In reality, no two people have the exact same point of view so you can have an influence on any person that hears your speech. Any great speech that I have heard has motivated me to act. In this way, those who are preparing speeches should be motivated that they can cause others to think and act in a new way. The reward system for public speakers is often faith based. You plant a good seed and hope that it brings fruit to those you spoke to.

Anonymous said...

Public speaking helps accomplish your goals because it gives you confidence. I haven't had much opportunity to do a lot of public speeches. I believe the last time I was really talking in front of people was when I was in Speech and Drama in high school. I love acting. It is one of my two greatest passions, next to writing. I've been doing both of them about the same amount of time. But public speaking, learning about it and applying it in my life, helped me then because it gave me the confidence to be out there in front of all the people. Even though, when you're acting, you're not yourself, you still need that assurance that you're not going to fall on your face. Public speaking techniques are good for concentration, confidence, and critical thinking. Without learning about public speaking and the techniques you use, those skills are hard to learn on your own.

Learning concentration through public speaking has made it easier for me to focus on what I'm talking about, or what I'm acting out, and not get distracted by the audience or by other people up on stage with me. However, when you're doing a monologue, or a soliloquy, you're the only one up there on the stage, and you don't have to worry about others, aside from the audience, ruining your concentration. Public speaking helps boost your confidence as well. I never had a problem with confidence until I got older. When I was younger, up until my senior year in high school, I was very confident about my abilities and what I was capable of. But public speaking techniques are set in place so you can overcome those fears and be able to stand in front of audiences, great or small. The last part is critical thinking, even though these “Three Cs” aren't in any particular order, is critical thinking. Critical thinking can be so complex. Not only do you have to think reflectively, you must also think about your environment around you, namely the perceptions of your audience. While you're speaking, you have to analyze what you're saying verses what the audience is thinking. Using critical thinking, you'll be able to gauge your topic better and how your audience is perceiving it. All three of these Cs are what really makes you successful in delivering a successful public speech, or whatever aspect in life you're applying it toward.

Alyssa Mae said...

How can public speaking help you enhance your career or how has it helped you in your career?

I am a very firm believer that communication skills are one of the most important and effective skills that one person can posses. Without the ability to present ideas, opinions and insights most careers would be very weak and success in the position would be much more difficult to obtain. The career path that I have chosen to take will put me in a position that I will need to share my thoughts and insights on a daily basis. Gaining the ability to strongly and effectively present my knowledge to clients and fellow employees will only better the position I will be in because of the communication between those I will work with. Not only can public speaking enhance my career but can also aid in my personal life and any sort of communicating encountered whether in small or large groups. By taking this class I hope that my confidence level in public speaking will rise and that it will be a skill I can rely on through the rest of my life.

Rebecca Deering said...

I’ve always gotten nervous talking in front of an audience, especially when I know I’ll be speaking soon, the anticipation kills me. I get so nervous to the point where my hands start to shake a little, out of know where I get really cold and then my palms start to sweat, gross I know. But it’s all in my head really, I make myself go crazy for no stink ‘in reason because in the end I do okay. Personally what I hope to accomplish in this class is too clearly explain my thinking process. I might have a lot to say about a specific topic but can’t put it into an organized explanation, that’s extremely annoying. Of course, get rid of my nervousness and gain the confidence to speak in front of an audience. Also I’ve recently been passionate about talking to high school students about being sexually active and the importance of staying protected, but most importantly the reason why you should save yourself for marriage, from a religious point of view.

Machi Johnson said...

In high school, public speaking helped me accomplish many of my goals, and aided me with a few of my classes. For example, my senior year I served on the schools student council and I was the chair of our advisory council. I was in charge of gathering a variety of students that represented different groups from throughout the school to meet once a week and discuss what they would like to see change, taken away, or enforced throughout the school. Our first meeting was extremely awkward for me, I had to stand in front of a classroom of students and lead a discussion. Now, I do very well with groups but I have never actually lead discussions like this before. And I will admit, the first meeting went terrible. But afterwards I asked different teachers of mine how to speak in front of people and lead the discussions and keeping people intrigued. And so I applied everything that had taught me, practiced a little, and to say the least I was able to improve. I feel strongly that because I was able to learn of to communicate with the advisory council, we were able to have a more successful year.

Nick Marinko said...

I will answer question 1 because I can personally relate to this and I have experiences where communication and presenting myself has helped me already in my early career opportunities. I was applying first for a Caregiver job to take care of a young woman with autism. I was scheduled an interview and showed up professionally dressed, collared shirt nice slacks etc. I first introduced myself and just began to talk after that. No dull moments or awkward silences, just basic talking and commmunicating. Beofre the interview I was notified that there have been several before and will be a couple after mine and I would be notified in roughly a week if i received the job. After about half an hour the woman offered me the spot right then and there. Her words were "I just had a good feeling about you." Previously I applied for another job and same situation showed up professionally dressed and such and went in introduced myself, began to answer questions for about 3 mins and I was surprised to hear him ask "Do you have any questions for me," I began to ask about the company and how its run and other open ended questions and then received another job offering on the spot after my interview. This I believe to be a big part of my understanding of communication and presentation of myself, and I have appreciated the insight and rewards I have received from it.

Victoria Sorenson said...

I think that public speaking and learning to be an effective public speaker helps no matter what career you choose. Teachers need to be articulate and not boring. A secretary needs to know how to respond to phone calls and people in the office. Business personnel need to be able to communicate their ideas. Even a mom needs to know how to represent her children as they have issues and needs.

Public speaking teaches and organized thought process and delivery that is effective. I have been taught that anger never wins once you lose your temper and begin yelling you are done. Learning to be articulate and speak to an audience or even to another individual and communicate will get you much further in life than being a bully.

Our nation’s leaders have professional speech writers to help them project the proper image and it politics it is as much how you say it as what you say that keeps your voting audience attentive.

Public speaking is important no matter what you choose to do with your life

Mckena Hutchings said...

How can public speaking help me enhance my career? How can it not? How can it not enhance any aspect of your life? I am a firm believer in communication. No matter what kind of relationship it is you have to have good communication. Without it, a relationship is bound to fall apart. Being able to speak publically is extremely beneficial. It not only helps you express what you need in life but the skills that you learn in order to speak make you a better listener. I want to help people. I want to change people’s lives. I want to be a motivational speaker, particularly youth. In order to do that I have to learn how to convey my thoughts. Being a good person and knowing how to help will only take me so far without a way to express it. Being a good public speaker will do nothing but take me farther in any career that I choose to explore, I really believe that.

Cindy Rueckert said...

How will public speaking help you accomplish your goals or how have you seen public speaking help you accomplish your goals?

Learning to be a more effective and dynamic public speaker will assist me in my personal goal to be a better leader. In most settings I naturally step up and speak my mind in an effort to lead and help the group, whether it be with an athletic team, in a classroom, at church, in a council, or just with a group of friends. I know that as I grow older, life will continue to present opportunities for me to serve and lead. My confidence and efficacy will increase as I learn to turn my weaknesses in public speaking to strengths.

Shane Brown said...

"How does public speaking enhance your critical thinking skills and listening skills?" When I speak in public I find that sometimes I have to quickly change direction if I'm not getting the response I desire. That is why I think public speaking helps my critical thinking ability. If you are under the gun - so to speak - your critical thinking skills are put to the test. In most of the speeches I give there are opportunities for the audience to ask questions. When the audience asks questions it is much easier to speak, because I am addressing a specific topic, rather than trying to guess what the audience would have me elaborate on. With questions also comes the danger of tangents. When presented with a question regardless of what it may be pertaining to I am always having to pull myself back to the original topic. Although tangents can be good at times I find it is always best to stay on task and answer the question as directly as I can. If the subject of the tangent is important I find a way to incorporate into the body of the speech later. This once again helps with critical thinking.

ChantelRamos said...

Public speaking will help me enhance my career as a teacher. In order to be a teacher you have to be comfortable with speaking in front of an audenice.you must be able to explain so the students can learn. I've always had a problem with public speaking. I tend to over think things and I have difficulty trying to explain what I'm trying to say. Even when I talk to a friend in general I can be talking about something and all of a sudden forget what I was saying and I tend to repeat myself and speak really fast. In this class I hope I can improve my public speakings skills. I hope I can become comfortable in front of an audience and have an easier time explaining things. As a teacher you have to be able to explain things and you have to be able to communicate with parents as well. Public speaking will help me grow as a person so I can communicate what I feel and what I think and it will also help me become successful in everything I do in life.

Tanner Rush said...

Question 1

There have been a lot of things in my life that public speaking has helped me accomplish. Some of these things include my classes in high school. One of my classes included speeches as a part of my grade so doing good and looking good in them was very important. Being a football captain is also another way public speeches have helped me in my life. When put in a situation where your team is expecting and in need of a motivating speech I was looked to, to provide one on the spot and delivering a good speech can change the outcome of a game. Public speaking can help me accomplish my goals in the future because I am planning on being in a business oriented career and being able to speak to large crowds is a very important trait to have.

Anonymous said...

Public speaking will and already has helped me accomplish goals in my life. Being able to speak in front of any number of people well will defiantly give you an edge against others that you may work with or that are applying for the same job. I am going to double major in Spanish and Marketing and I know that if I am not able to speak in front of people than I will not be able the job that I am looking for. I feel as though I am average when it comes to public speaking but by taking this class I have a goal to become an excellent public speaker. Having this ability will help me know what I am capable of and will have an opportunity to rub shoulders with, and create some great contacts that could help me get my foot in the door in the marketing realm. Also, it will create the perfect chance for me to learn about other ideas and beliefs while I am able to express my own.

Belle said...

I have a lot of “careers” in my life which have been enhanced by being a good public speaker. As a mom and a wife, I feel as if my whole life is based on the art of persuasion and argument whether it's persuading the kids to take a bath when they don't want to or getting my husband to do the dishes when I really know it is my turn. As a medical transcriptionist, I don't do the speaking, but I have had to learn how to listen and comprehend. Active listening is vital to this career because one wrong or forgotten piece of information could hurt someone or even cause death. I have learned that listening truly is a talent, one that I have not yet mastered. As a musical theater director, I was able to successfully direct 90+ kids between the ages of 5-14. The reason it was successful was because I was able to effectively communicate what I needed them to do as well as actively and effectively listen to what they needed me to do. The way public speaking enhances my life and my “careers” is that it eliminates confusion and therefore confrontation. Being a good public speaker brings peace. If you can effectively and respectfully communicate on a level that your audience understands, they will hear your message.

Christian McMullin said...

When I graduate from college I plan on going into the real estate field, as a home-builder/developer. Public speaking will come into play a lot with this career. Speaking in front of hundreds of people might not be a regular thing, but in different board meetings or in front of a city counsel. These skills will be very important to me. My father is in real estate and tells me all the time that selling yourself and your company or product is one of the most important aspects of this field. Growing my skills as a speaker is very important to me, and hopefully will be an asset for me in the future.

Ty Hatch said...

I have had very little experience in public speaking so far in my life. From what I have seen it can be one of the most important tools you will use in a career. I am enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves and I drill once a month in Salt Lake. When I drill we have different officers give power points and speeches. I am working towards a goal of becoming an officer myself and learning to speak well is a good plan for the future. Currently because I have had very little experience in public speaking, it makes me very nervous to even think about addressing a large group of people and I know that there will be many situations where I will be required to make presentations to large groups of peers. I am hoping that this class will give me more confidence when I am put in these situations. I am considering communications as a major and of course public speaking is a fundamental part of that course of study and therefore this class will give me a taste of the communications field and help me to know if this is the direction I really want to go.

Court Garr said...

Being a good public speaker will help me reach my goals in two major ways. It will help me enhance my communication skills, and it will help me be confident in high pressure situations. I plan on going into international business or accounting, in my opinion success in these professions revolves around effective communication. Whether I start my own business or work for someone else being able to speak professionally will help produce desired results. Becoming a better speaker will also help my confidence because I will know my capabilities and be able to better utilize them when needed, and it will help me to be better at thinking and doing things under pressure and feeling more comfortable in front of other. I am the customer service manager for a company that does customer support for several online companies. Throughout my time working here I've realized that the more confident I am when on the phone with clients and the more I focus on speaking professionally the phone call goes a lot smoother.

Jeff Worthington said...

I would like to respond to question #3: I have had several experiences with public speaking to audiences that don't share my same views, and I do think that it can be a rewarding experience. About 8 years ago I had the opportunity to serve a mission for my church in Richmond Virginia. Several times a day everyday I had the opportunity to talk to people that had similar beliefs, but in some ways they were very different. It was very rewarding getting to know other people and there beliefs and how they viewed things. I think if I could go back and do it again, I would try to be more open minded earlier on. Most people I found responded to me better when they felt like I was interested in what they thought too. Not just when I would say what I thought without regard to there belief system.

Chijindu ubani said...

How public speaking can enhance my career would be because the field im going to be going into is sports psychology, where you work with athletes from all kinds of back grounds, personalitites, and passions and the way you can reach them to get them to understand that your purpose is to help them accomplish their goals in their sport by playing with confidence and removing doubt from their minds, with that being said it is very important for my career to be a great public speaker becuase if i can reach the athletes i talk to on an insperational level and get them to remove doubt and be feerless when they perform it will make me just that much better and my career

ann said...

Public speaking is used in everyday life whether it’s speaking in front of an audience or if it’s talking to people at the grocery store. Public speaking can help me get closer to my goal by helping with confront in front of an audience, approve my vocabulary, and to intrigue the audience that I am talking to. Today in my life I use a lot of public speaking when I am teaching my dance class every week. I have to use a loud voice with having the words to inspire the dancers each time they walk in to that door. My goal in life is to inspire people not only by my movement but what is being said to them in that dance room. I believe that this class can improve plus give me ideas on how to improve the way I communicate with my classes better. Another dream of mine is to become a reporter on E news. I have wanted to do this sense I was a little girl; I like how you would get to be serious but also have so much fun speaking to the whole world. With this goal I would have to be really comfortable in front of cameras and would have to put all my nerves behind me. I know this class will help me achieve these goals and make me a great speaker in the end.

Alek Phillips said...

For two years I served an LDS mission. While serving my mission in Tacoma Washington, I have had lots of opportunities to speak to individuals and groups of people who did not share the same ideas and religious views. Speaking to people who didn't share my same views was at first a little hard because most of the time, the people wanted to argue what they believed. However there where people who would listen to what I was saying. One thing that I found while serving as a missionary, is when you speak to people, you don't want to speak to them and try and make them agree with you. You want to speak to them in such a way that they understand where you are coming from, and what ever you are speaking to the people about, it makes sense to them. They may not agree with you but they understand everything. Thats when I find you will be most successful as a speaker, when you speak in a way that a young child can understand.

Katie Bybee said...

Having great communication skills is one of the best qualities someone can have. It not only makes you a better public speaker, but it sets you up for success on a day to day basis. At my job communication is key. Whether it be communication with my patient, nurse, or other staff member. I think having great communication and public speaking go hand and hand. While communicating with someone you have to be able to relate to them. This is the same with public speaking. You have to be able to adapt whether it be a room full of children or adults. This applies to me at work also. I have patients ranging from 20 to 90 years old. And I communicate with each of them completely different. So being a great public speaker will not only help me in my career, but it will help me on a day to day basis communicating with other people.

Patrick Blackburn said...

Public speaking is a tool needed in all careers, well except professional world of warcraft player but that isn't really a job is it, and is one of the most valuable skills out there. No matter what job you have you have to talk to people whether its employees or customers you will need to talk to people. Communication skills is one of the top personal skills looked for by employers, and public speaking fits in that category. Critical thinking is also one thing that employers often look for and with public speaking if you are incapable of critical thinking you’re probably going to have a problem. So whether you’re in a company meeting of just speaking to customers or even at a picnic, giving a speech about how potato salad is good if not everyone brings it, public speaking is a very major skill. The best way Public speaking can help me is maybe I can finally get a job and I guess learn to talk to people.

Maureena Hoyt said...

Public speaking has definitely helped me out in my job and will help me in my career. When I was in high school I did not like to get up in front of people. I always envied the kids that would run for student offices because they looked so comfortable up there in front of people. I then took a speech class which really helped me. It taught me how to gather my thoughts and to really prepare to get up and give a decent speech. So as I have used those tools it has helped me to be more confident and successful. I work for a physical therapist so everyday I have to be able to communicate clearly with patients. I love being in this field of work because everyday is not the same. I get to talk to people about their lives and how they are dealing with different problems. My boss also really wants us to make people feel comfortable and so I am always talking and having a good attitude which will help me in my life in many ways.

Katie Greener said...

Public speaking is not just going to help me in my career, but it is my career. 90% of people (yes, that is a completely made up statistic), are terrified of speaking in front of others. But I, the other made up 10%, LOVE talking in front of crowds. And no, not in the self centered way. I have stories and a past that I feel would be very inspiational to others. That's why I want to be a motivational speaker of some sort, I'm still having troubles narrowing down on what eactly though. So it's pretty clear why this class is going to be benifical to me. I feel that I am already descent at seaking in front of others, but I want to be the best. No ones ever going to come and listen to what I have to say if I can't speak properly.

Yvonne Chen said...

How does public speaking enhance your critical thinking skills and listening skills?

Two key factors of public speaking are the critical thinking aspects and active listening. The logical component behind a given speech is dependent on its validity based off each individual’s insight. People each have their own unique beliefs, hence the importance of projecting opinions. The ability to critique another idea and to incorporate it (none, some, or all) with one’s own allows the art of communication to exist. Not only is it important to validate how effective a speech is, but also to apply that knowledge to a world with a variation of thoughts. Active listening ties in to successful speeches in the same manner; active listening allows one to engage in the ideas of another. Two or more ideas are brought together in exchange when critical thinking and listening skills are applied. With these two aspects of language mastered, leads to improved public speaking ability; they compliment.

Madison Davis said...

I'm going into teaching, Elementary Education to be specific. and I believe that being able to speak in public, and not only speak, but speak well, will make my career 1,000x more productive and fun. You can't very well go into teaching without being able to speak to your class. My personal opinion is that being able to communicate easily with my students greatly rests on my ability to speak with confidence and charisma. Its also an obvious fact that children in general like to have fun, and I feel that it will not only help me to think up more clever ways of communicating and having fun with my class, but also i believe it will help them to trust me, feel comfortable around me, be less afraid to ask questions, understand their assignment more easily, and help me as a teacher feel more confident in my teaching method.

Jessica Jensen said...

Question 2:

Having the ability to speak to the public is a very beneficial thing. By knowing how to speak well, you will be at an advantage in your career. Public speaking helps us get our point across whatever it may be. It gives people a better understanding of what you are trying to say rather than just reading it on paper. Many people don't like speaking to the public. It makes them feel insecure and nervous. Others don't have a problem with it at all. Since it is such an important thing in not only our careers but also our lives, I think everyone should learn to be somewhat comfortable with it. Throughout my life I have had to talk to the public many times. It is not always fun. I have had to do talks at church, presentations at school, and even interviews in front of a panel of judges at a pageant. It can definitely be very nerve racking but it has really helped me open up and be able to talk to people. I know I will be using public speaking throughout my life and I hope to continue to get more and more comfortable with it.

Penelope Davis said...

Looking back on my high school years, I can see many times how public speaking has helped me to accomplish my goals. My senior year is probably the best example of accomplishing my goals using public speaking. I was the student body president, and with that job I had to give a few speeches, and I was constantly trying to share new ideas with my council and principal. When I had an idea, I would need to present it to the council in a way that was clear and exciting. It wasn’t always easy at first, but with practice, practice, and more practice, by the end I felt like a pro. I’ve never had a public speaking class, but in my church, I’ve had to give many talks in front of big groups of kids and families. I feel that those experiences helped me to be more confident when delivering speeches. I remember having to write my graduation speech about a month and a half in advance, so that we could revise and edit it, and practice. We practice our speeches every week leading up to graduation. The actual graduation ceremony is on such a tight schedule, everyone’s speech has to be in their time limit. So, we practiced over and over again, until it was just perfect. We had to practice talking really slow, so everyone could understand us. It was a great learning experience, and I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be, but I blame that on all the practice.

Sarah Erwin said...

How can public speaknig help me enhance your career or how has it helped me in my career?..This is my first public speaknig class. I have never had a problem speaking my opinions and thoughts, but learning more about public speaking will, in many ways, improve my skills. My career i chose is Psychology. I've always wanted to help others and to be and ear. Communication is a very important aspect in my field. Not only do I have to give advice to people, but I need to listen. Knowing how to speak to others has helped me in my current job. I work around people who I have to interact with constanly. My ability to speak to others in a mature, knowledgeable way helps me with this. Back to my future career, I will be giving many presentations to many people. Things I consider important are eye contact, speaking loud enough for those to hear, presenting my speech with concrete facts, and having the ability to show no fear!!

Anonymous said...

Sheila Uluave MWF 11- 11:50
Question 1
I think learning to become a good public speaker can help anyone achieve their goals. First of all I think I am the perfect person to take this class because not only is it required for me to take but it is a skill I can improve on tremendously! One of my goals right now is passing my classes with all A’s. To pass my classes with good grades I have to give multiple speeches in each of my classes. I have accomplished goals in the past with public speaking , not with flying colors but my goals were simply to get up and do it. With this class I will not only learn the tools on how to be a good public speaker but I will get to practice using the tools I have been taught. I’m very nervous and excited to see the things we have to do in this class and see how much I will improve on public speaking.

Mike Sheffield said...

Walking willingly into a room where you know that what you're about to say is going to be controversial is ... intimidating to say the least. Sharing something that is dear to you is a delicate process from the start. Opening precious topics up to someone that you know will ridicule them is even harder.
Recently, I had an opportunity to speak to a club here at Dixie that wasn’t sold on my views at that point. I was hoping to gain their favor and to have them support me on a particular issue. Their invitation to speak was a bitter-sweet moment because I had heard horror stories about those who had failed in similar attempts. Going into my speaking engagement, I decided that the quickest way to fail was to try to be all things to all people. I decided to stick to my strengths and to be incredibly genuine. Secondly, I decided that I would not ignore the elephant in the room, which was my stance on our differences in opinion. Lastly, rather than hide from further questioning, I took as long as needed to allow them Q & A time to be sure that they were heard.
This experience was scary at first, but as the presentation went on, it became comfortable and fun. By being genuine, I noticed a reciprocated respect and appreciation. By genuinely accepting who they were, they in turn, did the same for me. To this day, though we are different, I enjoy daily interaction with many members of this club. I accredit my success to being genuine and having the courage to cater my speech to the audience. As I walked away from our meeting, I felt calm and invigorated, knowing that I had given a powerful speech.

Krissia Beatty said...

Often times when hiring, employers search for characteristics that set each candidate apart; are they bilingual, do they have experience, where did they graduate, what is their favorite food, how do they plan on saving the world, etc. All are important questions, however we have yet to touch on what could potentially be the most important; are they able to communicate well? This past June I had the opportunity of experiencing this firsthand when I competed in a local pageant. My judges were like employers, seeking out the best candidate for their job, which was to represent Washington County. I know what you’re thinking and the answer is no, I did not have to speak two languages in order to win this title. I did however have to convey to the judges in the private interview portion my desire, goals, and ideas for this coming year if I was chosen as Miss Washington County. I had to accurately get the message across to them that I was ready for this new “career” and had to prove to them purely through conversation that I was the best possible candidate for this job. Having this experience taught me to recognize thoughts that needed to be conveyed in such a way that would actively engage my audience and get them excited about the ideas that I was expressing. Public speaking will help me excel in my new career as Miss Washington County as I gain the ability to accurately articulate the ideas, concerns, and thoughts of the residents here in Southern Utah.

Jake Sip said...

I think public speaking can make or break your carrer. It is one of the most useful tools you can have in the workplace. If you can present yourself well in the work place and speak to others with confidence it will greatly help you advance. I work at the front desk to a hotel and I have to talk to people all day long. I can be interacting with any amount of people at one time, weather it is one person on the phone; or it is an entire tour bus of people checking in. Eiter way it is good to be able to speak to people with confidence. If you can recognize the needs of a person you can anticipate the right things to say. Being able to speak well in public is what got me my job. I was like the 6th person that was interviewed, but becuase of my skills as a public speaker, I was really able to impress my employer and get the job. Public speaking can be one of your greatest tools in the workplace

Alex said...

I gave a speech once before on a political issue that I felt strongly about. I knew that there were several people in the audience that held an opposing viewpoint. I felt that I was able to argue my viewpoint extremely effectively. It was extremely satisfying to be able to stand up for my beliefs in a public forum like that.