Considering more people would rather die than speak publicly, college public speaking classes are incredibly valuable to any college graduate. Every student should talk at least one public speaking class that requires speeches. Public speaking courses teach life skills that will be used by professionals in every industry. College provides the best opportunity to try new things, and every single college student should be encouraged to learn the skill of public speaking.
Confidence
Public speaking classes are unique in their ability to teach students a more practical type of confidence than almost any other major. Students can learn to present their ideas verbally in non-threatening environments that are created to encourage students. The key to public speaking is practice. The more speeches someone gives, the less intimidating they become, and the more tricks a speaker learns to stay calm. Public speaking classes also offer suggestions on topics and points, rather than making speakers guess until they get it right.
Clarity and Organization
Public speaking classes can offer a different approach to public speaking that can make it less intimidating. Speech classes can teach students how to organize their thoughts in ways that are easier to remember, can help the speaker stay on track and can help the audience follow along. By planning ahead, speaking can become dramatically less intimidating because there is nothing worse than looking at a room full of people and the words stop coming out or rambling until the time is up, not making sense to yourself or the audience.
Welcoming environment
One of the biggest misconceptions about public speaking is that the audience expects the speaker to fail. In the college environment, that is simply not true. College speaking classes are designed by professors to make the entire experience positive for unsure speakers and requiring the audience to be supportive. One of the first tips speakers are taught is to make the audience their friend. When speaking before friends, nervous speakers can focus on their own learning and less on the audience’s reactions.
Very few people were born fearless of public speaking. It is a skill that is learned and developed over time and through practice. Taking the opportunity to learn public speaking skills in a college class will help provide more confidence in an accepting environment. The skills that are taught in college public speaking classes will last a lifetime and in many cases may provide many more opportunities than would have been available without learning how to speak publicly.