Speech is one of the strongest forms of communication any individual can utilize. More importantly, there are countless ways wherein speech can change the outcome of any situation.
One example is by talking in public and offering your thoughts to a crowd. Still, many people struggle with it in 2021. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that around 73% of the population fears public speaking. Here, we’ll learn how to improve on public speaking skills.
Luckily, there are many ways of improving your speech. The most obvious approach would be to start learning online. Indeed, the online learning space is growing to the point that some platforms rival the quality of traditional education. Today, you will be learning about the best online courses and how to improve public speaking without leaving the comforts of home.
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10 Best Public Speaking Courses and How to Improve on Public Speaking Skills
There are several advantages in choosing online learning for public speaking today:
- You gain access to a variety of courses from various professionals all over the world.
- You can enjoy your lessons through the convenience of home.
- Some of our recommendations today include courses that offer certification and are excellent resume components in the future.
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1. Speak Like a Pro: Public Speaking for Professionals – Udemy
The first course comes from Udemy, an industry leader when it comes to providing high-quality learning tools. The course aims towards professionals and experienced speakers looking to improve their repertoire of speech strategies further. Moreover, this course offers a host of presentation skills, proven techniques in conquering anxiety and making a connection with any crowd.
The course will enable you to isolate your thoughts and build tangible speech patterns to gain the approval of anyone. Moreover, this program is a NASBA CPE accredited course, which takes regulation on a national level. However, students need to complete every video and score 70% or higher on the final exam to gain the NASPA CPE credits.
Udemy’s offering is an excellent solution for individuals wondering how to overcome nervousness-public-speaking. Conversely, public speakers who don’t make an effort to improve their speech will quickly learn that negligence can impact their careers. Fortunately, courses like these are tailor-made to eliminate those risks.
2. Become a Better Presenter: Improve Your Public Speaking Skills – Futurelearn
There is no better way to alleviate company doubt and frustration than giving outstanding presentations that accurately relay your ideas. The next course is from Futurelearn and teaches about meaningful strategies to improve public speaking in less time. More importantly, you will discover that the best way to win an audience is by engaging with them using proven presentation methods.
The course will teach you the different approaches to building up your strengths and capitalizing on the areas you lack. Further, lessons will take supplementation from the Presenter Network at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. In the program, you can expect to find a supportive environment to share your experiences and help other people grow.
Futurelearn also takes a page from other platforms’ books by using projects that simulate real-world scenarios. Here, you can experiment with the different ways to improve public speaking through trial and error. Indeed, you can expect to see positive results within the three weeks that the course promises.
3. Introduction to Public Speaking – edX
No platform offers soft skills courses like edX. In fact, the learning path we’re featuring today has one of the most interactive environments for aspiring public speakers. More importantly, as a beginner, you can expect to gain mastery over the fundamentals of public speaking and how to incorporate your style. Expect to find resolutions to any questions on how to improve public speaking skills in this course.
The course promises to help you design and execute arguments with precision. Moreover, you will understand how impactful a well-structured speech can be when presenting to a group. You will also discover how to approach challenging and complex arguments creatively and with a significant degree of persuasion. Finally, at the end of each speech, you will determine your strengths and weaknesses and how to improve using those parameters.
At edX, you can expect to find answers to questions such as “Does public speaking improve confidence?” by navigating through the excellent list of communication programs. The platform boasts one of the highest feedback ratings for public speaking courses in the market today.
4. Public Speaking – edX
The following recommendation is yet another edX course, the Public Speaking program from RITx. Public speaking is often synonymous with critical thinking, research, and an incredible amount of preparation. However, many speakers struggle with the process of acquiring those skills before they even perfect their craft. As a result, the need for high-quality public speaking courses is crucial to counteract this challenge.
The course is part of the Communication Skills Professional Certificate program, and students can expect a professional certificate upon completion. As for the course proper, you can expect to learn about the different elements that make up the communication process of public speaking. Moreover, you will gain the tools and techniques necessary to prevent anxiety and unwanted doubt during the discourse.
You can also expect to master the art of criticizing fellow speakers using the principles provided by the course. Criticism is vital to the growth of each communicator, and applying it to each other in a simulated speaking environment will speed up the process. Indeed, feedback is proven to be the best way to improve public speaking skills.
5. Improve Your English Communication Skills Specialization – Coursera
Coursera reigns as one of the most visited and reviewed online education providers in 2021. More importantly, the platform’s specialization program is among the highest-rated courses in the online learning space. As such, we won’t stray away from recommending their classes in the foreseeable future.
In this course, you will focus on innovating your English communication skills from scratch. The program will help you elevate the quality of your speech when interacting in a business setting. The program features several parts, with each one focusing on a different area of communication.
Initially, students will experience a breakdown on how to create professional and tailor-made emails for success. Here, you can find the different techniques in building trust and confidence using strategic writing elements; students will be able to build personal ePortfolios with professional and business attributes. Undoubtedly, you will discover how to overcome nervousness and how to improve on public speaking skills.
6. Good with Words: Speaking and Presenting Specialization – Coursera
There is no better medium for interaction than communication. Conversely, speech can also negatively affect a situation if misused. Words are easily misinterpreted if you don’t adequately express your thoughts. As a result, this next course is how to master the art of presenting and speaking words that can produce optimistic results.
Coursera’s specialization courses are some of the best in the market. More importantly, you can’t go wrong with including them in your list for ways to improve public speaking in 2021. Graduates of this course can speak with confidence, knowing they completed a certification program from Coursera’s proven and reliable educational system.
You will be delighted to learn that this course focuses on helping you practice speech presentation, pitch ideas, and deliver impactful words. Moreover, you will also master the art of holding natural conversations while making the other person feel comfortable speaking to you. Creating a mutual atmosphere of interaction will ensure that conversations go smoothly and conflicts won’t arise.
7. Hacking Public Speaking – Udemy
Udemy is home to many introductory courses that help students improve a variety of skills. Public speaking courses are underrated despite the positive results and feedback they produce regularly. As a result, we recommend this Hacking Public Speaking program for people looking for strategies to improve public speaking at any level.
Throughout the classes, you can expect to learn the techniques used by popular speakers worldwide. The course aims to help you improve storytelling techniques and manipulate the interest of any audience. More importantly, mastering them will ensure that presentations are inspirational, relatable, and enjoyed by everyone.
Towards the end, you will master the memory techniques that professionals use to avoid having mental blocks on stage. Moreover, students who stick with the program will eventually turn any boring and mundane content into something fun and interactive.
8. Presentation Skills: Speechwriting, Slides and Delivery Specialization – Coursera
Oral presentations are some of the most daunting tasks that inexperienced speakers face in modern society. Moreover, failing to execute the steps leading up to that point properly makes failure inevitable. Fortunately, Coursera offers some of the best solutions to those wondering how to improve public speaking skills today.
The Presentation Skills specialization is a great option for speakers looking to improve their public speaking. Many people fail to realize the gravity of proper communication when giving presentations. Conversely, professionals who produce compelling presentations take rewards with positive feedback and appreciation from their colleagues. Does public speaking improve confidence? Yes, and in turn, an improved self-image will enable you to think clearer and create even more engaging presentations.
The course will focus on presentation elements and the entire process of perfecting the task in a business setting. You can expect to find a lot of activities centering around writing, creating slides, speech delivery. Finally, at the end of the course, as with any other specializations, you will engage in a public speaking project to test the skills you’ve garnered throughout the program.
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9. Presentations: Speaking so that People Listen – Coursera
Listening is a crucial part of determining whether a presentation is successful or not. Only 10% of people in the United States enjoy the thought of public speaking. As a result, most listeners don’t value the time they spend hearing the words of a public speaker. However, when communication is structured to meet interests and pique curiosity, public speaking breathes a new light.
Unlike the previous recommendations, we feature a Coursera offering that doesn’t bombard its students with complicated topics right off the bat. Instead, the lessons start slow and simple, which makes digesting knowledge easy for everyone. Surprisingly, the approach comes from the idea that proper listening needs to come from every aspect of learning.
While the course can benefit most speakers, it is mainly for inexperienced speakers who are just starting to improve their speech. More importantly, building techniques and strategies from the ground up is the best way to improve public speaking skills as a beginner.
10. Communicating with Confidence – LinkedIn
LinkedIn Learning finishes our recommendations with a fantastic course on how to communicate with confidence. Communication is the most complex construct of human interaction to date. As such, identifying the different methods on how to improve public speaking should be your top priority when pursuing success.
The course will empower students with the necessary techniques to become effective communicators. Moreover, as a public speaker and communicator, you will learn how to overcome fear and anxiety and what steps to take to avoid it. Communication isn’t all about audio cues but encroaches on the physical domain as well. Here, you will discover the techniques to create compelling presentations using body language and gestures.
In the end, students will enjoy a personal coaching experience from the instructor and will be able to pinpoint their weaknesses. Indeed, effective communication is a vital aspect of any industry, whether in academics, business, or personal relationships. LinkedIn is among the highest-rated education providers for brushing up these soft skills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Improving a presentation using public speaking can be achieved by using memory techniques, body language, and creating a natural and interactive environment between speaker and audience.
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