The Real Life Benefits of Public Speaking
“Information is power only if you can take action with it.” Daniel Burrus
My first year in speech and debate I learned all the tips, tricks, and strategies for presenting my cases in an effective manner. It wasn't until my second year, when I stepped out of my own shoes and looked at my presentations from the view of my audience, that I truly understood the life impacting benefits of public speaking. My focus changed from winning a round to impacting the thoughts of my audience. I no longer looked at my 5-10 minutes as a time I needed to fill but instead as a gift of undivided attention during which I could impact the lives of my listeners. I went from seeing this as a high school activity to a life long mission to share my thoughts, ideas, and beliefs with the world.
Today I wish to share with you the power of public speaking. How you can take this INFORMATION and turn it into ACTION to give you the POWER to impact your world.
Professional Benefits
While the stage of a speech or debate round and the real work differ, many of the skills transmit seamlessly. Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to the experts.
After many hours of interviewing multiple Speech and Debate coaches, I have compiled a list of skills that have assisted these successful speakers in their fields.
Abigail Kish, 2016 Impromptu National Champion and Assistant Director at DFW Speech and Debate, landed her dream job at a non-profit despite not having a college degree.
Angelle Halvorson, 2014 National Impromptu champion and Limited Prep coach at DFW, was promoted to manager in her early 20’s after only one week on the job.
Joshua Tryon, team policy debater, sourcebook writer, and debate coach for DFW, entered the workfield at one of the country's leading law firms where he worked alongside some of the best attorneys in the nation.
Ian Mikkelson, multiple time champion in both speech and debate and current coach at DFW, has pursued his education at North Carolina University where he is working toward his Doctorate in Public Policy.
Jordan Brown, speech and debate competitor, student at the University of Tennessee, and platform coach at DFW, secured many successful career opportunities in her passionate pursuit to help Non-Profits.
Jo Spurgeon, 2020 Lincoln Douglas National Champion and current student at American University studying Neuroscience, landed her job at DFW as a result of her 2020 debate performance.
Each of these examples listed above represent people who were able to market their own skills and abilities in intimidating and sometimes impossible positions. Whether in a job interview, studying at a university, working in a law firm, fighting for a non-profit cause, or teaching a class of students, the ability to communicate one’s thoughts and ideas is monumental.
Imagine being able to go into any situation with a mentally trained brain that can swiftly synthesize new information, quickly connect it to experiential knowledge, and clearly articulate it to any audience. Suddenly job interviews wouldn’t be as frightening, delivering a pitch at work wouldn’t be a death sentence, and perhaps the American population would be more comfortable giving a eulogy as opposed to being the one in the casket.
If you wish to reach this goal of success in your work field you must be willing to push yourself past your comfort zone until what wasn’t comfortable becomes possible.
Personal Benefits
On a day to day level, communication is simply people sharing thoughts and ideas with each other. Whether this is at a coffee shop with a stranger, around a dinner table with family, or in front of a massive audience, in the end, we are all people with our own ideas and opinions to share.
Unfortunately, though we are all humans and live in the same world as the rest of our fellow species, we often find it hard to communicate our differing thoughts and ideas with each other. Think of political discussions at family gatherings, board meetings at work, or even a husband and wife trying to pick a place to eat. The inability to clearly communicate can cause a world of confusion, hurt feelings, and broken relationships.
When asked how public speaking has benefited them in their personal lives, each of our DFW coaches stated that day to day conversations are just as impacted by our ability to effectively communicate as they are in the workplace. Imagine how beneficial it would be if you could take your thoughts and opinions and present them in a structured manner that your family and friends could understand? What if you could listen to the differing opinions of your inlaws and be able to identify the main points of their case to address the core of their argument? What if you were trained to gather your thoughts before reacting irrationally to your spouse? What if you knew how to address the emotions of your children in a positive way to avoid offense while tapping into the ability to connect with their feelings? What if you could present your passions in a way that would draw in and encourage your church family, core group, or even total strangers, so that they would want to join your cause?
Suddenly holidays with the inlaws wouldn’t be a yearly dread, political topics wouldn’t be avoided like the flu, and we as a species could help each other grow in understanding as we share our own views on the world.
If you wish to achieve this effectiveness when speaking to those closest to you, you must develop sympathy for your audience and see your perspective through their eyes.
Future Benefits
From the beginning of time, the days of Aristotle, and the present day, humans have always relied on our ability to communicate. Whether that be through stories passed down through generations, written documentation, or the modern day technology of ones and zeros, humans thrive on communication.
The advancement of technology is changing the way we communicate with the world. We can now call a person from thousands of miles away and see their face on our screen. Our source of information comes mainly from our social media platforms and endless internet resources. Even in times of crisis when in-person interactions are prohibited, online platforms provide opportunities for connection and conversation. The future is never certain and times are always changing. However, one thing that we can be certain of is the power of communication. There will always be a need for those who can share ideas and opinions effectively with the masses. There will always be individual conversations between small groups of people that rely on thoughts being shared and passed on. There will always be the need to gain greater knowledge and share information clearly.
Communication skills will always be in demand, and perhaps even more so in the future as fewer people are gaining such creative thinking skills. The security that comes with possessing such skills has a long lasting effect as they are so vitally important in all areas of life, be that professional or personal.
If you wish to have this stability in your skill base that is transmittable through life changes then you must learn how to become adaptable in your communication. Anyone can share their opinions, but what the world will always need is effective communicators.
Conclusion
My second year of speech and debate I learned the value of public speaking. My focus was no longer fixated on the scores or my placing but instead on the impact I was having on the world around me.
As Jo Sprurgeon says “ The purpose of public speaking is to share your truth and your voice. That is what makes you unique as an individual and that is what makes public speaking so beautiful.”
Communication is simply the embodiment of thoughts, opinions, and ideas in the form of words. These words, though they may seem simple, have the ability to impact the thoughts and consequently, the actions of others, therefore impacting the world.
The challenge I leave you with is to take this INFORMATION and turn it into ACTION so as to have POWER in your own life.
If you are inspired to gain these life benefiting skills, stay tuned for part two of this article on the three keys to becoming a skilled speaker.