Public Speaking is Essential to Success

Public Speaking is an excellent opportunity for recent graduates to set themselves apart and add valuable experience to a resume.
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com.

This summer, I committed myself to reading more. Since I am on the road a good amount of time, I decided to get “books on tape”…well CDs. They are great for “reading” while I’m on my daily walk. Before I knew it, I had read five already: two Toni Morrison books (Tar Baby and Sula), one fiction (1984), and two self-improvement books (Crucial Conversations and Talk Like TED). All of these books have enriched my learning, but the one I want to talk about today is Talk Like TED.

This book really brought to my attention why public speaking is a key component to our success as Collegiate Gigsters. It speaks to the important components of a successful TED talk. It focuses on the importance communication is the key to any successful venture. Your ability to share your vision, your passion, and your expertise hinges on your ability to be clear in your presentation. From the book I have two big takeaways that I want to share with you:

Own Your Expertise

Collegiate Gigsters often forget that we are experts in our field. Through education preparation and work experience, we’ve risen to the top of our fields. It’s just we are surrounded by others who are just as well trained as we are and who speak our lingo, so we forget that our little professional world is not the whole world. There are millions of people who DO NOT know what you know, nor can they explain it as well as you can. Own that about yourself. Own the fact that you are an expert and that others can, should, and will benefit from your expertise. You have passion, mastery, and genius informing who you are and what you do. Speak with authority and you will be successful. Stop hiding…let your genius shine for the world to see!

Teach and Learn

Collegiate Gigsters are natural teachers. We understand better than most what it takes to help others understand what we need for them to learn. We know that innovation doesn’t necessarily mean more tech; we know that pedagogy and learning theory are interconnected with human development. We are also adept at framing content in a way that makes the learning fun and easy. You can do that through your public speaking. Take all that you know, identify up to three big ideas, and frame them so that your audience goes away having learned something you’re your audience becomes more informed, and hopefully better people, from hearing you speak.

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