How Can Public Speaking Help Your Career?

You’re a nurse and you probably talk all day long. You interact with patients, colleagues, and families from the time you get into work until the time you leave. So with all that talking, do you really need to excel at public speaking?

Any professional benefits from public speaking, but especially nurses. If you want to advance in your career or just be a better nurse, communicating effectively is an essential skill. You have to sum up your thoughts, ideas, and solutions faster than most other professionals. If your job (or your dream job) requires any kind of presentation or even mingling, public speaking skills will help you.

Many nursing students have taken a public speaking class or some kind of seminar that helps them polish their presentation skills. Some organizations even offer classes where attendees can sharpen their already good skills or where novices can learn how to not only find their public speaking voice, but to use it effectively.

Even with some public speaking training, stage fright is a real thing. You might be very comfortable speaking in small groups or with people you know, but if you’re put into an unfamiliar situation or in front of many people, you freeze. While that might be common, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to overcome it.

Nurses who are at ease speaking in front of others are in high demand and this skill can open your career prospects greatly. If you’re at ease with public speaking, that means you’re more likely to volunteer to give a talk to colleagues. It might also mean your boss will turn to you to help with a conference workshop on your specialty. You might even be asked to speak by an organization. All of these opportunities get you out in front of people, make you valuable to your employer, and boost your career prospects and experience.

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To get started, just look for a local class in public speaking. You can find them at local adult education centers, local schools, organizations, like Toastmasters, or even private coaches. If you think colleagues would be interested, gather some information about teachers, costs, possible times and locations, and present the idea of holding a class at work to your company. You’ll get bonus points for organization and initiative.

And by getting a little professional advice, you’ll also learn tricks and tips to make presentations easier. You’ll discover the way props like slides, photos, and videos can help you feel less pressured. And you’ll probably hear inspirational stories from people who flubbed a big presentation, recovered, and turned it into a success despite the mistakes.

The more practice you have, the more at ease you’ll be with speaking in front of others. And, as a nurse, you need to be able to speak calmly and clearly in an emergency. The more time you have invested, the less time you’ll spend on thinking about what you’ll say and the more time you’ll have to get the the heart of the matter.