Public speaking part-time courses

Public speaking part-time courses

“If I could just say a few words, I’d be a better public speaker.” – Homer J. Simpson

Why not browse our directory of public speaking courses?

Not everybody likes public speaking, but most of us have to do it from time to time, whether at work or in our private lives. Client presentations, wedding day speeches, reading the minutes at meetings, all of these are fairly common occurrences in many people’s lives. And all of these occasions can cause even the most confident of us many moments of apprehension.

Many careers require the ability to talk confidently to groups of colleagues or strangers. A short list of examples includes teachers, salespeople, sports and fitness instructors, tour guides, priests, TV personalities, public relation representatives, actors, barristers, social workers and entertainers. Also, people in other walks of life often need to speak to relatively large groups of people on a fairly regular basis as their career progresses, whether giving presentations, speaking at conferences, or training other staff. Promotion prospects in many jobs are enhanced by competent public speaking skills.

Many people observe expert public speakers and think: 'Wow, I could never come up with such a smart, witty, entertaining, polished speech.' This is really the wrong way of looking at things. The content is not generally the problem with public speaking. Often the audience want to hear what you have to say, that’s why they are there. It’s the delivery where some people need a bit of help, the confidence in their ability to hold an audience.

Public speaking is a skill. A few people are born with the knack, and never seem to be stuck for a word, but the rest of us have to learn the basics and put in the practice before we become comfortable speaking to a room full of strangers. Like any skill you have to work on it before you can master it. The smart, witty, entertaining speaker seems that way because they have honed their public speaking skills over a period of time. A public speaking part time course can help turn even the shyest of wallflowers into a polished performer; an evening course can turn your shy mumblings into an address that a US president would be jealous of.

Basic public speaking part time courses will teach you how to structure a speech, write proper notes with key points, tailor a speech to a target audience, and give you examples and tips to help put together a coherent and sensible speech. For example, you don't have to deliver mountains of facts or details to give your audience what they want; the most successful talks only make two or three main points which the audience can easily remember. Echoing your first words throughout the speech can make them stick in the audience’s mind. A course can give even better tips than these to quickly improve someone’s public speaking skills.

Part time public speaking courses also give people a chance to practice on other people who, like them, are trying to learn the basics. Not everyone can stand straight up in front of strangers and wow. Practicing in front of a receptive audience, who are never going to heckle or walk out, is a great way to build confidence in your skills and find your voice.

For those who already have a certain amount of public speaking experience, or who feel they already know the basics, might be more interested in joining the Toastmasters. Toastmasters is more a public speaking club than a structured course, but it gives people the chance to practice speeches on subjects of their own choice, and get feedback from other members. It’s also supposed to be a good craic.

Many people who become practiced public speakers get a real kick out of the experience. When you get past the jelly legs and dry throat, you can enjoy public speaking because it's one of the few times you give yourself permission to put on a show for others. Be compassionate, silly, informative, helpful, witty - anything you want. People really appreciate a good speech, and they always clap at the end. Standing up in front of a crowd and making a successful speech can be a real confidence booster. Which can have knock on effects in other areas of your life too.

Even the most successful public speakers get nervous; they just hide it better. That extra bit of adrenaline can be harnessed to improve your performance once you have the training and confidence to get up there and talk. If you improve your ability to prepare and present a speech through a course in public speaking, then it won’t be long before you have them rolling in the aisles.

Why not browse our directory of public speaking courses?