Speech Training

Is speech training going to make you a better speaker or a more effective presenter?

In reality, speech training has pros and cons - let's cover them and get to the bottom line right now.

First, speech training by definition is training on how to deliver a speech. Think politician or key note speaker.

Speech training involves, at its heart, a "mechanical approach" to speaking and presenting.

It's important to understand that giving a speech is not necessarily the same thing as delivering a presentation or giving a talk on a specific topic.

Before you consider speech training, you need to be clear about what your goals and outcomes are: what results are you trying to produce?

For example, I specialize in helping business owners to market themselves with seminars and public speaking.

Speech training, while helpful, would not really achieve the goal of effective marketing via speaking and seminars because marketing yourself via speaking and seminars is a different skill-set than making a speech.

It should be noted that just because one has had speech training, that does not automatically mean one will be effective at marketing using speaking and seminars.

In general, speech training covers basic, but "mechanistic" skills such as covered by Toastmasters; very, very basic skill- sets of pausing, eliminating "ums and uhs", use of the podium, and mechanistic ways of gesturing and moving.

Basic speech training is good for those without the need to achieve any important or measurable results from their speaking.

To truly influence a group, make effective use of nonverbal skills, achieve rapport with a group, convey authority, expertise and credibility and other such outcomes, a higher level of training will be needed, more than just training on how to deliver a speech.

Moreover, if you intend to sell a product or service or want to get people to do business with you, donate to a charity, sign a petition or otherwise take a specific action you want them to take, then speech training will likely not allow you to achieve those outcomes.

Summary: speech training is useful and has its place, but if you want to powerfully influence a group and achieve measurable results, then you'll need a more comprehensive skill set and training.