The advantages of good presentation skills and public speaking for career progression.
When meeting prospective parents for the first time, one of the most commonly shared reasons for their considering Eaton Square Prep School is the tradition of teaching and developing public speaking within our pupils. They often cite the confidence and polish their professional peers have displayed when they have had to orally present to their colleagues or customers, and how they would like their children to have this skill in their own professional lives. It is clear that employers today consistently report that public speaking is one of the most important and sought-after skills a prospective employee can possess.
The importance of public speaking is not new. A famous teacher of public speaking in ancient Greece, Isocrates, was among the most influential rhetoricians of his time. Isocrates made many contributions to rhetoric and education through his own school and his written works. In part due to his being a shy and quiet man himself, Isocrates developed his pupils to fully understand the importance of rhetoric and confidence when speaking. His belief was that “None of the things which are done with intelligence are done without the aid of speech.”
Were Isocrates here today, he would find, I suspect, that the need to communicate effectively and clearly through speech is at least as important as it was then, but perhaps, and arguably more so with the ability to be heard and seen across the globe in the blink of an eye. The more localised rooms, halls, or arenas in which crowds used to gather to hear debates and speeches have been expanded through the power of technology to allow a single person to be heard by millions at the click of a button.
In many careers today, the ability to speak well to an audience is paramount and, as such, the selection process for many roles in the workplace includes giving a short presentation to an interview panel. It can be further argued that once employed within a company or firm, the ability to progress ‘through the ranks’ is always positively influenced by the ability to speak well, with confidence, on a particular subject. It is commonly agreed that the best leaders are the ones who can clearly deliver their vision to their team, which is invariably done through the channel of public speaking.
Schools approach public speaking in different ways. Some will have an active and thriving system, which the pupils can access, and others may not have the means to offer such programmes, although they will encourage the pupils to explore performance opportunities outside of their usual school hours. At Eaton Square Prep School, we are fortunate to have staff who share the belief that a strong and effective command of public speaking will bring the children not only success and enjoyment whilst at school, but also in their careers in the future. Whether it be through regular opportunities to perform, speaking to their peers or parents on a variety of subjects, debating clubs and competitions, LAMDA and TEDx talks, or sharing their experiences at school open days with adults, the children are regularly given the opportunity to hone and practice their skills in oracy.
Quintilian, the famous Roman rhetorician, described the ideal ‘orator’ or public speaker in his full and encompassing work, Institutio Oratoria, as “a good man speaking well.” The orator, his speaker, was the ancient world’s ideal of an educated, involved citizen; a person of good reputation, who was guided by ethics and who was in command of communication skills that enabled effective and responsible exercise of influence. Who today could, or would, argue against these tenets in relation to what we would want to achieve in our schools and colleges in order that our pupils become competent oral public communicators, who are also, importantly, responsible critical receivers of messages today?
The advantages of having confidence when speaking publicly, when compared to someone who finds this a challenge, have been clearly witnessed by most readers today and they are well documented. How many times have politicians been elected on the strength of the delivery of their message, even if the message itself may have been flawed or questionable? The strength of being a strong orator is built upon much more than simply being a good speaker. The complex communication process includes seven basic elements: “speaker, message, channel, listener, feedback, interference, and situation.” The speaker is the person who initiates a speech transaction. Whatever the speaker communicates is the message, which is sent by means of a particular channel. The listener receives the communicated message and provides feedback to the speaker. Interference is anything that impedes the communication of a message, and the situation is the time and place in which speech communication occurs. The interaction of these seven elements is what determines the outcome in any instance of speech communication.
It matters not whether one is speaking in public to a large audience or in more intimate contexts, in the classroom or a small tutor group, for example. The same skills are needed whenever one person has the responsibility of delivering a message successfully to a group of others. When there is a message of great import to get across, the person delivering the message (the speaker) needs the skills to increase the chances that what they are saying will not be misunderstood or forgotten but that it will instead contribute to creating a shared meaning between the speaker and those listening. It will therefore be remembered, considered, and, where relevant, acted upon.
Therefore, the skills of effective oral communication have unlimited application with respect to subject matter. They are necessary assets in all fields of study and occupations, and, as such, are arguably a hugely important component within career progression.
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Article: The advantages of good presentation skills and public speaking for career progression.
