The ROI of storytelling - why should we learn to speak?

There's a lot of evidence that strong public speaking and communications skills aren't merely a nice-to-have skill – they are a fundamental driver of career and salary success.

• 86% of executives cited the lack of effective communication skills as the main cause of workplace failures
• Two-thirds of all IT professionals (67%) believe public speaking skills are important for a successful career in IT
• Investment in soft skills and communication training yields an average ROI of 250% within 8 months

When polled by Institute of Student Employers many graduates felt that communication skills were one of their top assets - but their employers don't agree.

And despite this, communications training is still being neglected. A?recent report by Deloitte?revealed that only 26% of millennials say they been offered help with communication skills.

Speaking is something that comes naturally to us so it's understandable that people might bypass soft skills training in favour of something that's seen as more practical or useful.

But public speaking is more than just talking. You need to have something interesting to say. You need to present it using your voice and body language in a way that engages your audience. You need to make eye contact. Build drama into your delivery. Add pauses for emphasis and impact.

Good public speaking is more than talking. It's a performance.

To improve your public speaking skills you first need to know your current abilities:

• Request formal feedback from colleagues and supervisors
• Record and analyse your presentations
• Look around the office or at talks online and identify what good looks like

Then invest in yourself:

• Try public speaking meet-ups and clubs like Toastmasters
• Invest in training or a public speaking coach
• Look for opportunities to speak - both in your professional and personal life

Keep track of your progress:

• Track presentation opportunities and data - how long did you speak for? Size of audience? Audience reaction?
• Monitor feedback scores - ask people to rate your after every session and be open to receiving negative feedback without getting dispirited
• Keep pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.
• Keep going. You will see improvements

If you're looking to start improving your public speaking and executive presence please don't hesitate to reach out - I have a lot of free resources and videos you can access at https://www.13-times.com.