Public Speaking, Careers in

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PUBLIC SPEAKING, CAREERS IN

Effective public speaking is a basic skill that is needed for a variety of careers in contemporary society. People who have completed undergraduate communication programs can be found working in occupations ranging from account managers and actresses to web administration directors. Typical careers for individuals skilled in public speaking include advertising executive, attorney, corporate communications officer, corporate trainer, customer service representative, human resources manager, organizational development specialist, public relations professional, sales representative, and television reporter.

Training in speech and communication is also important for individuals who desire employment as administrators, audience coordinators for television programs, business analysts, computer consultants, digital media specialists, entertainers, financial consultants, hospitality managers, insurance agents, librarians, marketing professionals, mediators, nonprofit development officers, project development specialists, retail buyers, social workers, telecommunications consultants, travel agents, and television producers.

From the above lists, it may seem that any professional career could benefit from training in speech and public speaking, and, in fact, that is probably true. Training in public speaking helps individuals develop organizational skills, the ability to be comfortable when talking in front of both large and small groups, and effective means to persuade others. These skills contribute to effectiveness in almost any career situation.

Basic Career Characteristics

In general, jobs that are pursued by people skilled in speech and public speaking involve three things: (1) dealing with the public, (2) organizing information, and (3) exhibiting individual responsibility.

Most people who seek training in speech and public speaking have a desire to work with the public in some fashion. For example, a talent coordinator on a television show is responsible for interviewing potential guests, persuading individuals to appear on the show, making sure guests are comfortable when they arrive at the show, and often writing questions for the host to ask the guests. A hospitality manager serves as the liaison between employees and customers to ensure a pleasant experience for customers. Much of the time of a hospitality manager may be spent listening to customer complaints and resolving them. Strong listening and negotiation skills, as well as patience, are particularly essential in this profession. Individuals trained in speech and public speaking are effective in dealing with the public due to their experience with presenting information to a variety of audiences and their ability to "think on their feet." Being at ease in public speaking situations easily translates into effective interpersonal communication skills.

Individuals who can organize information find these skills useful in a variety of careers. As part of the training process for public speaking, people find information through various research methods, analyze the credibility of the information, decide which information is most effective in a particular situation, organize the information into a pattern that will communicate the information in the best way, and use effective delivery skills to present the information to a particular audience. These skills have a direct benefit for people working as attorneys, librarians, small business managers, or sales representatives.

Finally, people trained in public speaking are able to be effective in jobs that require individual responsibility because they have been trained to use their self-motivation to formulate messages that can both inform and influence others. For example, a television reporter must first develop a story idea before researching, editing, and presenting the information to the public. The idea must be checked with editors and other decision-makers before it is approved for dissemination to the public. A software project manager must coordinate the efforts of a variety of individuals in order to develop a product and get it to market. Each step of this process may entail presenting the product to diverse audiences to gain their approval before the next step can be taken.

Important Career Skills

There are many important skills that can contribute to success in the careers discussed above, but three of the most important are (1) the ability to adapt to various audiences, (2) the ability to do research, and (3) the ability to exhibit a sense of personal integrity.

Training in speech and public speaking includes an emphasis on audience analysis and adaptation. This means that in order to deliver an effective public speech, the speaker must first know the audience in terms of who they are and what their needs are. It would be inappropriate and ineffective to address an audience of third graders in the same manner as one would address an audience of senior citizens. In the same way, individuals who have been trained in speech and public speaking know that they must adapt their message to the needs, understanding, and desires of their customers. A sales representative who uses the same message to describe a product to physicians, to government regulators, and to the general public will probably not be successful.

Public speaking training also includes the development of research skills, which are a necessary component of any public speech. In the broadest sense, research skills are essential in any career dealing with effective communication skills. Social workers need to gather information about their clients, marketing executives need to gather research about the products they are selling, documentary filmmakers need to gather research about the topics of their films, and book sellers need to gather information about the latest books that might appeal to their customers.

Finally, effective public speakers need a sense of personal integrity. This may not seem like a skill that is equivalent to audience adaptation and research skills, but personal integrity can be developed just like these other skills and is essential to effectiveness in any of the careers discussed so far. Professional communicators are constantly judged by the credibility of their messages and their personal integrity. For example, a client service representative who has a reputation of assuming responsibility for solving problems and taking into account individual customer needs will be more effective than a person who fails to honor promises or effectively resolve conflicts with clients.

A prominent source of information regarding careers in the public speaking field is the National Communication Association. This is the largest professional organization devoted to serving the needs of both scholars and practitioners in the fields of speech and public speaking.

Lea P. Stewart

Encyclopedia of Communication and Information