January 2013
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I would like to start the New Year by addressing the importance of communication skills. Much as we put emphasis on writing skills, the relevance of public speaking cannot be undermined. Why? Good writing skills can only get you this far in exams. But it is speaking skill that stays with you in school, in society, at work; in short, for life.
Public speaking is NOT only about addressing an audience per se. Rather, I like to call it verbal skills. This skill challenges you to express your thoughts coherently, articulate the words clearly and put your ideas across confidently. And to do that, you need to write these points, ideas and thoughts. Isn’t that writing? So really, verbal skill is one step ahead of writing that we must not disregard. From students trying to impress examiners in oral exams or university interviews to corporate leaders painting pictures of their vision to their teams and politicians attempting to convince voters; it’s all about SPEAKING up. Think about it…
On this note, I would like to leave you with a video of a 9-year-old boy currently taking public speaking lessons from me. This boy is certainly an unpolished gem…
Public Speaking – Jacob