Preparing for that Public Speaking Course – What Do I Need?

The latest Singapore’s General Elections brought to attention the importance of communication and public speaking skills, especially in sounding persuasive or charismatic. More are now interested in developing their skills as communicators or public speakers, whether it is for a home or work setting. If you are part of this group, we are sure you would already have your ideal programme in mind. Instead of just diving into the programme, it is important to approach communication skills training in a careful and structured manner, to maximise your learning experience.

One of the common observations from our new students (from our public speaking course for kids and our presentation course for adults alike!) is: “I just want to learn how to speak more confidently!”. While there is nothing wrong with this aspiration, you need a clear learning mindset, plan, and objective to ensure that this aspiration is more than just a lofty goal. We believe that public speaking and communication skills training involve a core of habit-building. This habit-building is achieved not just through blind effort, but a sustained, targeted learning path.

To help you along before your public speaking course, here are three points you should locate before diving into your learning!

Locate your Communication Scenarios

Most of us may have been inspired by that powerful or charismatic speaker we saw online, before deciding to sign up for a course (by running our fingers across the keyboard furiously, searching on Google for [public speaking course for kids] or [presentation skills training for adults]). We may harbour strong hopes of replicating that same style or success, regaling our audience in the same manner. While there is nothing wrong with having a communication role model, we must remember that communication skills are context-specific. This means that each communication technique, style, or personality is best applied to an appropriate and relevant setting!

How then can we uncover this “setting”? The best way to locate these communication scenarios is also straightforward – look inwards! Your daily routine, job scope, or role at home are just some examples of indicators for when you will require communication skills. In simple terms, when are you going to talk to the most? These are communication scenarios that you are more likely to face when applying the techniques that you have learnt. There is little point to mastering that energetic style or hand gesture when your day-to-day communication scenario does not call for it. In the weeks leading up to the start of your programme, think about how you are likely to apply such communication techniques!

Locate your Communication Habits

As we shared, a core part of communications training is the habit-building process. This does not simply involve changing a habit. Instead, habit-building is a careful and targeted approach. Start by identifying your existing communication habits in the scenarios you had identified earlier. For example, have you received a comment about your delivery style? This moment of introspection is a powerful tool to understand your existing communication model and how you should pivot to accommodate the new habit.

When locating your communication habits, do not be afraid to be surgical in your assessment. What was the frequency of the comment received? How did your audience react? These moments may be painful or awkward. When we unpack these moments, however, we uncover a gold mine of learning opportunities. Keep track of these observations through a journal and have an honest conversation with your trainer. Your habit-building process will no longer be a lonely and directionless endeavour.

Locate your Communication Checkpoints

Remember the observation by most of our students above? Often, when we focus on the bigger, more idealistic goal, we forget about the little pains that would arise in our learning journey. When a setback occurs, or a habit takes too long to take root, we may start to lose hope in our original goal. This is where some students may find themselves in the “nature” trap, i.e. the belief that they are just not natural speakers.

At Public Speaking Academy, for example, we believe that strong communication skills can be nurtured no matter the background of the student or communicator. An important aspect of this growth process is to be self-aware about your development. Create learning checkpoints for yourself by identifying communication settings at home or work where you can test the techniques you have covered. Try applying those techniques in low-stakes communication settings (such as a conversation or a short meeting) to build up your confidence. With this dedicated approach, you will learn to identify and enjoy the fruits of your learning labour!

Map Your Path to Success!

Beyond the points above, we would emphasise the same cliché: the learning journey is not easy. Whether you are attending a short crash-course or a regular programme, the success of your learning journey is more likely to turn on how you prepare yourself before diving in. Remember to build that awareness through our three points above and apply them for your up-coming course!

By The Way…

If you’re keen to take your public speaking & presentation skills (either business/corporate presentation or kids in-class presentation) to the next level so that you may public speak and present with flair and charisma, feel free to check out our offerings below!

For more about our Public Speaking Course for Adults :

https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/courses-and-programs/group-classes-for-adults/

For more about our Public Speaking Course for Kids / Children:

https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/group-classes-students-age-9-18/