I do a lot of public speaking – at library conferences and for my library in our community. I like it and think it’s sorta fun.
If you don’t like public speaking, or if you have just never really done it – why learn to speak in public?
Here are some reasons for public speaking:
- Learning a new skill. Public speaking is definitely a skill, and as such it can be learned. And improved upon.
- Resume builder. Employers like people who can confidently deliver a presentation.
- Organizing thoughts. The process of creating a presentation – organizing thoughts, arranging them in a logical way, sharing next steps, etc – is a great way to organize thoughts and ideas.
- Confidence builder. Apparently a LOT of people get wigged out by the idea of standing in front of people and talking. So what’s the best way to face those fears and build up that confidence? Yep – taking the leap and sharing thoughts in front of a group of people.
- Public Speaking translates well to other areas. If you can organize and give a public presentation, you also have the skillset to lead training sessions and lead meetings.
- Learn how before you need to do it. If you move up in your organization or in your career, most likely you will eventually have to deliver some type of presentation – in front of a board or government officials (city council, state government, etc), or even share something in the news on a local tv station. It’s a good thing to learn how to do BEFORE you need to actually do it.
- Sharing is good! My favorite reason – I’ll bet you or your library has done something cool, or inspiring, or innovative, or just different. Other librarians want to know about it! A great way to share what you did is to give a presentation at a regional, state, or national conference.
That’s what I think, anyway. What should I add here? Let me know! Also – here are a couple of other articles on reasons to improve public speaking:
- 7 Reasons Why You Should Improve your Public Speaking – by Skip Prichard, CEO at OCLC.
- Communication Skills: 7 reasons inspiring public speaking is good for your career – From Ginger Public Speaking