Warren Buffet Says It's True: Develop Public Speaking Skills

Financier Warren Buffett said that developing public speaking skills is a great investment. How right he is!

I've seen this many times. In business, of course. What would you expect? I once had a business student tell me that he was too nervous to take a public speaking class. I told him that maybe he should change majors. Instead, he decided to take the course. He did just fine.

Many generals and admirals would rather have a root canal than to give a public speech. All the same, pretty much all of them are very good public speakers. You simply cannot rise to that level of leadership unless you can explain your points and persuade people that they are true.

I've heard several top psychologists speak. Surely, yes, they published very good research. But, as far as I can can tell, all of the top psychologists are also fine speakers. If you want people to hear your ideas, you need to present them clearly and with effect, and there is no substitute for doing so orally in front of an audience. So, take it from Mr. Buffett: learn how to give a speech.