Stand Up and – Toast! Why it's Important to Practice Public Speaking

When you hear the words "public speaking," what are your first thoughts?

Maybe it is speakers like Tony Robbins who seek to inspire you to action – or Chris Farley’s parody of a motivational speaker on Saturday Night Live. And, closer to home, you probably can’t help thinking about the masterful keynotes of Steve Jobs.

Let’s take a step back. Gaining public speaking skills is not only about standing alone on a stage with spotlights shining in your eyes. Public speaking is a skill that you can use every day.

Think about the number of times that you communicate with other people. You may be giving a presentation to a customer; giving your team or your manager a status; coaching your child’s little league team; leading a discussion group in your religious community; or pitching the next big idea to a venture capital firm.

When you improve your public speaking skills, you also improve the way you communicate, whether it is to small or to large groups. The key to improving is practice. Think about marathon runners – if they stop training for six months, no one would be surprised that they will be out of shape for the next race.

Staying at the top of your game when it comes to speaking skills is no different. But in practice, a common strategy is to attend a one or two-day seminar to learn about presentation skills. The problem is the classic “use it or lose it” trap – if you don’t practice what you learned right away, you’re likely forget the classroom techniques. 

I found that speaking at a few conferences a year did not keep me "in shape" for speaking. When I joined a Toastmasters club over five years ago, I found a place where I could practice speaking in different roles at the weekly meetings, and get feedback about what works and areas where I could improve, all in a safe environment. And my ratings at professional conferences went up as well!

In future posts, I’ll explore concrete tips for improving your speaking skills, how organizations such as Toastmasters give you a place to practice and grow, and how that can help you in day-to-day situations. For now, I challenge you to think about public speaking in the same way that you would think about that marathon – never turn down an opportunity to train!