Higher education websites often list public speaking as the most dreaded course in colleges and universities today, yet public speaking training is vital to a student’s college experience and future career. Some college students say they would rather die than take a communication skills development course. Over the years of teaching communication courses, I have yet to hear of a student who passed away because of her learning about speech. National experts agree that oral communication training is of enormous value. One of the top universities in the nation, the University of Colorado completed a survey of faculty and students across the curriculum. Both groups agreed that students are deficient in the following: expressing ideas clearly, organizing messages, expressing ideas concisely, using evidence, speaking with a voice, managing anxiety, and listening effectively. University training in oral communication will be a remedy for each of these deficiencies.
Leaders from several universities admit that students are increasingly lacking in how to present an organized and coherent presentation. However, this skill has become increasingly important in a world that requires collaboration between specialists in a wide variety of fields. Requiring an oral presentation course is a great way to help students who are lacking in their presentation efforts. The highest unemployment rate is among recent college graduates. I’m sure many of these graduates found a way to avoid taking a public speaking class in college and now realize that confident public speaking skills can be their ticket to a successful job interview.
According to many job forecasting websites, verbal communication ranks as one of the most sought after skills. In today’s highly competitive job market, strong public speaking skills will help our students land that first job and then advance in the workplace. The public speaking course can teach college students how to be successful speakers.
This year Warren Buffet’s net worth was reported to be $87 billion. Buffet has repeatedly shared with college students that he can substantially increase his value as a business professional by improving his speaking skills. Buffett once told a class of business students that he would pay anyone in the audience $100,000 for 10 percent of his future earnings. If they were good public speakers, he would raise his offer by 50 percent. He recognized the value of public speaking skills in the workplace. Students who successfully complete an oral presentation course increase their value in America’s highly competitive work environment.
A national survey has found that only a fraction of today’s college graduates possess the speaking skills they need to be successful in the workplace. Strong oral communication skills are often cited as the quality that employers look for in a new employee. I remember attending a professional conference that brought together CEOs of various companies, university presidents, and professors. The convention focused on the problems of higher education as a whole. Every company leader identified a lack of communication skills as a major problem with new college graduates. Millennials struggle with communication skills. I imagine that a lack of communication skills is a reason many millennials have a hard time keeping a job and why many are fired from their positions. With our continuing technological advancement, the need for strong communication skills instruction is likely to become even more vital in colleges and in the workplace. There’s a reason public speaking is a required course at America’s top college preparatory schools.
