The world has become smaller where almost everything happens with a click or instant responses online. It has definitely brought a change in our life. When we talk about career progression, though the world of work is increasingly being conducted behind computer screens, career progression is still about being seen and heard. And that is when public speaking skills in IT matters.

Back in our college days, our friends, our seniors and juniors used to get anxious, get nervous or have chills down their spine whenever it was time for presentation or public defense. That was just a trivial scenario. When it comes to the world, according to research, 75% of the total population of the world suffers from anxiety when it comes to public speaking. Also, a research done at Harvard University says that students at Harvard were ready to endure minor electric shocks rather than give a 5 minute speech. Besides that, as an individual, we tend to set boundaries for ourselves. Myths like I am not perfect, I am not an expert, I may seem boring to the audience or I may not be able to answer the questions raised by the audience can be hindrance when it comes to public speaking. So, it’s high time we need to break the limits which we have set for ourselves and think out of the box. Programmers or developers, they are considered as the ones who make themselves limited within a room, code all day, can’t socialize with people and they can be grumpy at times as semicolon can ruin their day. And, maybe because of these, the term ‘nerd’ or ‘geek’ might have come into existence. As we know, developing software or application is not always about sleek code, there are various process involved. Development alone can’t aide in software sales. If you want to pursue your career in software sales, you need to be a confident person who presents well in a crowd and has great communications skills. Because, these are the skills that organizations will look for when they are reviewing resumes and interviewing prospects.

Some of the reasons why public speaking is the demand of present hour are mentioned below:

To win over the crowd

Be it inside or outside your workplace, the power of influencing others can carry you a long way and it all starts by honing your public speaking skills. In order to express why a certain idea or product is interesting, one must use strong enough convincing language to elicit intrigue and curiosity among audience. And if you succeed to do that, you will win over the crowd.

To inspire people

A good public speaker attains the power to motivate the audience to do something, make him stop from doing something, to change his behavior or reach the objectives. Attending motivational seminar can help you change your perception towards life. Attending technical talks or meet ups can make you experiment new technologies. And this is how you inspire people. 

To inform

Ability to inform is one of the most important aspects of public speaking. From presenting your pitch/ideas to your colleagues/clients/boss to having presentation at universities or in other arena, informative public speaking plays a vital role across every sector including IT.

To reach large audience in a short time

Events are organized in a mass. At times, we also know there are certain groups or community with a specific motive.This way, large audience can be reached in short period of time to exchange information and ideas.

To share knowledge about subject matter effectively

You can have a brilliant content, but if you can’t share it properly, everything else goes in vain. A good public speaker can share knowledge about subject matter effectively. We have heard success stories of personalities who have started their journey in a room to being a billionaire.

Can lack of public speaking skills be hindrance to success?

You are intelligent, you are innovative but if you are not a good speaker then you can have a hard time delivering your ideas and it will get limited within you.

In context of Nepal, most of the clients are unaware about the user requirements and if you can’t deliver your works and plan in a proper manner, then clients may not find your idea convincing. Not only in terms of clients but with your colleagues as well.

What can these all lead to? It will obviously lead to low productivity and unexpected outcomes.

For instance; you have applied for a job at a reputed organization and as interview this days includes presentation and if you aren’t good at it, then you can’t make a good first impression.

Sadly, you might have to let go of the opportunities. This means a total disappointment.

We are aware about the dark side if you lack public speaking skill. But why not unveil the bright side of public speaking skills.

Better research skills

Better research is essential before presentation.  A technical evangelist should have a better research skill which will help him/her gain an insight on specific ideas/topic. Moreover, it will enhance his/her research skills which is mandatory.

 Stronger deductive skills

Stronger deductive skill leads you to have a true logical conclusion. Be it on preparation, during practice or be it right on the stage, you will learn much more about the art of deductive skills.

Advocacy abilities

When you have the ability to advocate for causes, you can make a difference. The voice of the unheard can be heard.

An impact, a change, a revolution can be made.

Confidence

Confidence is key, it makes you more appealing. You need to carry it even when you don’t have it. And public speaking skills can significantly boost your confidence.

Reduce anxiety

Anxiety is a normal human emotion. It cannot disappear completely or you can’t avoid it totally. So, public speaking will teach you to deal with your fears and turn your weakness into strength.

Ladder to success

Public speaking skill is directly proportional to career advancement. It indicates leadership skills, creativity, making new social connections and expanding your professional network.

So, what are all these? A ladder to success!

And as success stories can inspire us, you can go through success stories of famous personalities like Matt Mullenweg, Marissa Mayer, Abdul Kalaam, Elon Musk, Ganesh Shah, Jib Raj Pokhrel, Wernel Vogels, Steve Jobs to name a few. When we go through the success stories, we can come up with three conclusions.

1) They all belong from a technical background.

2) They are influential speaker, no doubt.

3) Most importantly, they are successful.

Everybody would like to enhance public speaking skills. For that, one can imply 5 P’s in our life.

• Plan

Plan your communication appropriately. Statistics, headlines and storytelling can do wonders.

• Practice

One can’t be a confident and compelling public speaker without a proper practice. If you have hard time practicing, practice in front of mirror. Credit goes to the gadgets these days, you can record your voice or also make videos which will help you analyze gestures, body language and even the tone of your voice.

• Posture

Leaning on wall or podium doesn’t look attractive at all. Stand straight. Use of gestures can make you comfortable. Breathe if you are nervous. Also, smile. It will somehow reduce your anxiety by half and make you look good as well. It’s like icing on cake.

• Power of audience

We organize various events. For who are they intended? For people. Make your session more of a conversation rather than a monologue. You will get comfortable and your audience can get connected with you session. And, there’s when the power of audience works.

• Positive thinking

Positive thinking, it is essential everywhere and every time. It will help you build your confidence. Fear will only ruin your session. So how can you overcome it? Imply affirmation and visualization to raise the confidence.

When it comes to public speaking, feeling the fear and doing it anyway may not be the most proactive approach. Instead, training your mind to focus on giving the best performance possible can keep you from feeling like a deer in the headlights.