Death Is Considered Speaking In Front Of A Crowd

Jerry Seinfeld said during one of his shows, "I saw a thing, actually a study, that said speaking in front of a crowd is considered the number one fear of the average person. I found that amazing. Number two was death. Death is number two? This means to the average person if you have to be at a funeral you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy." While this is humorous it illustrates a good point; people are afraid of public speaking. Public speaking is defined as "the process of designing and delivering a message to an audience," (Wrench et al. 8). About 74% of people suffer from the fear of public speaking, also known as Glossophobia, and 5.3 million Americans have a social phobia (Statistic Brain). The ability to speak in front …show more content…
Not only will students learn how to effectively speak, but they will learn other skills as well such as critical thinking and message development (Mottet). With the experience and skills gained from this class, students would feel more confident speaking for their other classes, such as making a presentation in front of the class, or simply contributing to class discussion. When a study was done on whether a public speaking course would help students become less anxious, the results showed that the students' speaking anxiety lowered after having taken the class (Hunter et al. 130). Furthermore, a study done by Hollis Glaser and Shereen Bingham showed that when students took a public speaking class they felt more comfortable and connected on campus and in their classrooms, increased their sense of family and belonging on campus, and helped their college success rate (60-64). A public speaking class would also help students become better listeners and further help them in other classes (Massengale). All in all taking a public speaking course helps a student's overall experience at their college or university and it will do so at …show more content…
If a student is able to communicate, he or she has a better chance of being employed or promoted (Pan). Additionally some companies use presentations "as a gauge of a candidate’s professional and emotional competence during job interviews," (Pan). Knowing how to communicate effectively can help to avoid expensive mistakes and make things run much more smoothly bringing better results. Wrench et al. say that "Once you’ve learned the basic skills associated with public speaking, you’ll find that being able to effectively speak in public has profound benefits, including influencing the world around you, developing leadership skills, becoming a thought leader," (14). They go on to say that executives spend millions of dollars on public speaking workshops, coaches, books CDs and DVDs (Wrench et al. 14-15). Taking a public speaking class would also help people learn to face their fears. Jeremiah Massengale says, "A public speaking course is almost guaranteed to build your confidence. You’ll learn to stand before a group of people, make a lot of eye contact, and engage them with conviction. While the nervousness that comes with speaking in front of a crowd won’t entirely disappear, the course will teach you how to deal with your fears and turn your weakness into strength." Additional reasons that a required public speaking course would be a good idea are the extra