Public Speaking, what you should really study in college

Are you ready to take your career to the next level?

Public Speaking and your career

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting on the topic of college. Specifically, how the college experience can affect professional careers. A few posts that are ready to go include:

• How the college reputation can affect the job hunt
• My thoughts on delaying entry to the job market after graduation.

As high school students prepare to graduate, I often encounter parents visiting colleges with their high school juniors and seniors. All parents proclaim their child is a prodigy. I find this entire topic fascinating.

• Working in HR, I understand the importance of the education section at the bottom of a resume in shaping a career. The chosen college will make a permanent impression on the student’s resume for the rest of their life.
• My parents didn’t visit any potential schools with me, so I missed out on this parent/child experience.
• There are several topics I wish I had studied in college. My parents told me what I should study. I am lacking in some areas because I didn’t listen. 

HRNasty has no children and no intentions

I write these posts fully acknowledging that I do not worry about funding a college education. It is hard to imagine funding two or three educations. I don’t worry about the spawn of HRNasty getting into the “right school.” College debt or little HRNasty junior returning to the nest, unemployed, are not concerns. Let’s face it: anyone who has read this blog for any time knows one thing. Raised by tiger parents, I also have unreasonable standards as a parent. Smart Goals would be applied to the academic career. Networking, public speaking, and team sports would be the only acceptable after-school activities. By God, they would know how to handle an interview!

These skills make a difference in landing your first job out of school. It doesn’t stop there. These skills have an exponential impact on the rest of our careers. Like a 401 (k), the earlier you start, the better the long-term compounded gains you realize. 

The chain reaction of career decisions

• The company you land your first job with will influence the following few jobs you apply for.
• Your first starting salary right out of school will set the tone for compensation moving forward. Just landing a job isn’t the goal. We aim to secure a job and negotiate a competitive salary.
• How you communicate and present ideas influences how management treats you. The track you are placed in and its expectations make a difference. This directly correlates to the opportunities available to you. This translates to promotions and salary.

Now that I am in the working world, there are a few classes I wish I had paid more attention to. Like most students, I had no idea why I was required to take many of the classes to graduate.

The typical algebra question

Train A travels SW at 70 miles per hour. Train B travels NW at 44 miles per hour. How far apart will they be in 854 minutes?

I have been working for several years. Fortunately, I have not yet been asked to solve the infamous “2 trains” problem. That being said, there are several classes where I wish I had paid more attention.

If I had children, I would insist they pay special attention to a few topics. These topics are based on my experience in an HR career. I have seen graduates receive offer letters, rejection letters, promotions, and pink slips. I am confident that more knowledge in the following topics would have made a big difference.

This week and next, I will share my thoughts on classes I would insist the spawn of HRNasty pay attention to. Algebra may not be the most applicable method for determining the distance between trains in real life. Strengths and weaknesses in the following courses will make or break a career. This week, I share thoughts on why I think public speaking is so important. This is a skill I wish I had developed during all 4 years of my college career. Next week, I will share three more. These four skills will make or break a career in the new economy and technology age.

Public Speaking as a phobia

Public Speaking is one of the top-listed fears. For most of us, public speaking ranks up there with the fear of spiders and heights. Because of this fear, we avoid public speaking classes and public speaking opportunities without realizing it. In reality, we should be doing the exact opposite. We should be signing up for classes, joining Toastmasters, and volunteering for public speaking opportunities as often as possible. EVERYONE will be involved in public speaking at some point in his or her career.

Even if you work in a non-customer-facing role, being a spokesperson inside the company will help your career. Effective public speakers are desirable to ALL hiring managers. Whether it is public speaking for potential customers or internal presentations within the company, strong public speakers are a strength I know all hiring managers, which they had more of within their teams.

Nervous candidates

These candidates are nervous, and they are aware of their own nervousness. I get this. Candidates can be so anxious that they tell me, “I’m really nervous” (heads up: avoid saying this in an interview). Public Speaking skills will lessen this fear and WILL make a difference in how you present yourself. This transfers to what you will do in a job interview. It also affects salary negotiation, presenting your ideas to management, and your career for the rest of your life.

As candidates, we assume that a resume is the first step to landing a job. When I helped candidates with their resumes, landing the interview didn’t mean doo-doo if they didn’t know how to communicate, handle the interview questions, or the negotiation process. It’s not just what you say; it’s how you say it. I feel very fortunate that I never had a fear of public speaking. I was started on a musical instrument at 3 ½ years old. Later, I went to school on a music scholarship, so getting up in front of the public wasn’t a fear of mine. I didn’t know any better.

Public Speaking

When I landed in corporate America, I became qualified to facilitate the company’s proprietary public speaking classes. This was a class where participants learned how to speak in public EFFECTIVELY. This class helped me more with my career than any other class. I can confidently say that participants also noted that the class made the most significant difference for them. I ultimately believe it helped me get to where I am today. To this day, I strongly recommend debate, public speaking, or Toastmasters to anyone who wants to further their career. This includes developers who typically do not have customer-facing roles. You can be the best developer, but if you cannot communicate specs or vision, your talent will not be fully utilized.  

Next week, three more critical skills to concentrate on during your college career.

See you at the after party,
HRNasty

nasty: an unreal maneuver of incredible technique, something that is ridiculously good, tricky, and manipulative but with a result that can’t help but be admired, a phrase used to describe someone good at something. “He has a nasty forkball”.

If you feel this post is valuable, please subscribe here. I promise no spam,