Skills necessary for all majors
It’s that ultimate moment when all eyes are on you. You are the center of attention. Everyone has sat down to listen to every word you say, and to see everything you do. This is public speaking. No matter how shy, quiet or even loud and vocal, we all have been in this situation — whether it’s for a group presentation, at a best friend’s wedding or even making a logical point to a counterpart.
We The Threefold believe that public speaking should be a required course for all majors at JBU. We think we would all benefit from this skill as we will continue to use it for the rest of our lives.
Taking a public speaking course will give students the skills necessary to deliver a unique and well-crafted message.
We’ve all listened to our fellow classmates speak at the gathering, and it may look easy enough at times, but most people are unaware of the proper techniques behind delivering a powerful and effective speech.
Public speaking class will teach students the appropriate times to pause, how to avoid using distracting hand gestures and the proper placement for anecdotes to grab and hold the audience’s attention.
Currently, majors in education, communication, construction management and business have public speaking credit embedded in their degree requirements.
But what about a major like youth ministry which requires preaching sermons in front of students or even engineering students who give their senior presentations in front of a large audience?
Public speaking training will help students develop their skills in communication and enable them to present their ideas and beliefs to both large and small audiences.
According to USA Today’s article “5 reasons everyone should take a public speaking course,” public speaking will overlap into every aspect of your life, will help you become a better listener, will help voice your ideas and gain confidence.
At JBU, we strive on this idea of giving students a “holistic education” by equipping students with the skills to be successful in all aspects of their life. A public speaking class will produce well rounded students who can verbalize their thoughts, think logically and effectively persuade others—all tools that can be used in all aspects of their life.
Therefore, we The Threefold urge John Brown University to consider adding public speaking to their general education requirements.
Graphic by Becky Ramirez