Think about a time that you had to stand in front of a bunch of people and tell them something. Maybe it was an oral report in grade school or a proposal at work. After gathering your materials and preparing what to say, you arrived at the podium and started talking.

That, my friend, is public speaking, and it involves communicating information before a large audience. What makes public speaking different than, say, just talking to a crowd of people, is in the way information is conveyed. In public speaking, the information is purposeful and meant to inform, influence or entertain a group of listeners.

There are five elements of public speaking, and it basically boils down to who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effect. In other words, who is the source of the message. What is the message itself. Whom is the audience, while the medium is the actual delivery method and ending in the effect. Think of the effect as the speaker’s intent for the speech.

Public speaking dates back centuries, yet still remains one of the most important skills we can acquire in modern times. So, why is it so important to know?

So, you’re thinking of a time when you had to present something in front of a group. And the only memory you have might be of sweaty palms and knocking knees. There are some very good reasons why you need to know how to do it. Actually, there are so many reasons why everyone should learn how to speak in a public forum. Let’s check out a few:

Every time you speak in public, it increases your self-confidence

As we become comfortable speaking, we become more comfortable around people

We can reach a large audience in a shorter time than having individual conversations

It’s a great way to show how much you know about a subject 

You can build a fan base of follower