When I walked into my first public speaking class, there were a lot of thoughts in my head. Nerves, expectations, excitement.

What I didn’t expect walking into that class, is 20,000 people viewing my speech on Tiktok after I posted a snippet of my final: The Creative Gap. What I expected even less is 7000+ people identifying with it like me and some people even sharing their own experiences.

That changed my perspective on public speaking.

Why Should You Care About Public Speaking?

Interviews. Conversations. Salary Negotiations. Interpersonal Communication. All of these have public speaking in common. At some point or another you are going to have to advocate for yourself or for someone else, public speaking is a skill that prepares you for that.

What Opportunities Can You Get?

Influence your community, inspire someone who looks like you and opportunities will come.

After I posted my speech I received a DM (direct message) on Tiktok from an organization to speak to their students (yay experience!). And two other DM’s on LinkedIn offering me contract opportunities (yay money!).

Put yourself out there, your people will find you.

Who Uses Public Speaking?

Everyone.

Where Can I Learn Public Speaking?

Local community programs sometimes offer public speaking, check online or at your local library. Colleges and universities can also have it as a course. For example in NJ, Rutgers—New Brunswick and Middlesex Community College offer their own public speaking courses for locals to take.

I got my opportunity to learn public speaking from New Brunswick Education Foundation (NBEF) with Dr. Alex Ellis.