Most people have this phobia of talking in front of a large audience—or just talking to people!
If you consider yourself one of those people and have aspirations of working as a successful professional, you will need to face your fears quickly in order to succeed. It can be said that many people have missed out on great opportunities just because they didn’t speak up. If this is you, don’ t let that kind of phobia stop you from being successful.
Facing Your Fears of Public Speaking
You can easily overcome your fear of public speaking by simply enrolling in college. While you may have been able to dodge a few speaking opportunities in high school, college courses are much more demanding and expect you to perform academically to the best of your ability. This includes being able to communicate well.
One of the best ways of becoming an exceptional communicator is to speak in front of an audience. If you can captivate a crowd, then you’re most likely going to captivate the attention of a smaller audience, like a small team or even a co-worker.
How College Can Help
Sure, you can buy a book that teaches you how to speak in public, but learning in an environment that offers you a strategic curriculum of communication practices will far outweigh a do-it-yourself book.
Florida National University (FNU), an accredited university in South Florida offers a great course about the Fundamentals of Oral Communication and Business Communications. However, you don’t necessarily have to be enrolled in a communications course in order to become a better speaker.
While you’ll most likely find communication courses offered in administrative programs, other courses under programs like Computer Developer, Medical Assistant Technology, Physical Therapist Assistant, Nursing, Accounting, and more all help students become better communicators. All of these academic programs are designed to help you better understand your chosen field of study. Some of these programs include hours of lab work. Depending on how each course is organized, group discussions and possibly even group assignments will help you become more comfortable voicing any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions to your classmates and instructors.
The Importance of Good Communication
You don’t have to be a professional speaker to be a better public speaker either. Being a good public speaker means that you’re just comfortable talking to people. While you can be more casual talking to individuals, it might be a little intimidating to speak in front of large crowds. But if you’re planning to be a teacher or hold a high level of responsibility, chances are you will find yourself addressing a number of people whether it’s in a casual setting or a formal event.
If you desire to hold a position like a Registered Nurse, Paralegal, or any type of executive level position, it’s important that you’re able to communicate clearly. People will be looking to you for direction and supervision, and it will be your job to provide that. However, if you are afraid to speak in front of people, you will fail.
The Benefits of Being a Better Speaker
Being a better speaker will help calm any anxiety that you might have when you’re communicating. If you’re more relaxed, then your body language will show it. You’re audience will notice this and see that you are not only comfortable in what you’re saying, you’re also confident. If you’re confident in what you’re saying, your audience will be more receptive to your message.
If you’re fidgeting, stuttering, stammering, or taking too long of a pause—like you forgot what you were going to say, then that tells you’re audience that you don’t value or believe in your message, so why should they? The same thing goes for communicating with co-workers. In order to communicate effectively, you need to show confidence. If you’re unsure of your message, your co-workers will be unsure of you!
Some Good Speaking Advice
Don’t speak too fast and don’t talk too slow!
Yes, there is a happy medium when you’re trying to convey a message. If you’re speaking to a large crowd, it’s alright to impart your speech with strategic pauses to stress certain points, but when you’re speaking to a smaller group of co-workers, that can come off as a bit dramatic. If you speak too fast, your listeners won’t have a chance to process the information you’re trying to convey. Still, it’s important to pay attention to how you pace your speech as this also weighs heavily on how you communicate.
Similarities of a Good Public Speaker and Team Worker
Being a good public speaker and team worker go hand-in-hand. They are directly related to determining whether a task succeeds or fails. When you’re speaking to an audience, the task is to inform and possibly persuade—maybe even encourage. When you’re speaking to a team at work, the task remains the same and may possibly even be more direct.
How Being a Good Public Speaker Helps in the Classroom
Being a good public speaker and team worker will most definitely help you in the classroom. If you’re reading in front of your classmates, be sure to scan the room giving your listeners the feeling that you’re talking directly to them. You might even notice this when your professor lectures.
Learn by Example
Make a note to study from some great communicators—professors! Pay attention to how they lecture. Observe their body language and how they seem to capture the attention of a group of people. You’ll also get great practice when speaking to your professor and classmates. Be sure to look him or her directly in the eye when communicating.
Speak Up! Enroll in FNU Today!
Being a better team worker will encourage you to voice your ideas. It will help you plan better. This not only makes you a better team worker, but a better leader. College can help with all of this, thereby evolving you into a more flexible and reliable worker who has a full understanding of the team and company’s objectives.
Future employers are looking for applicants with good communication and leadership skills. If you’re interested in becoming a better public speaker and team worker, contact FNU. Browse through our online curriculum of accredited college programs to see which one is the right fit for you. Contact us today if you have any questions about how to apply.
