How Important Are Presentation Skills?

When I flick through my 1000 plus channels of digital cable TV I am often struck by the fact that there are entire networks devoted to poker skills, golf skills, gardening skills, even tile grouting skills! And yet there is no TV network devoted entirely to presentation skills.

Why?

Relatively few people provide food and shelter for their family via their poker earnings, and yet hundreds of millions of people earn all or a majority of their paycheck based on their ability to speak. People in the following professions are highly dependent on their capacity to communicate through the spoken word:

Sales people, teachers, politicians, CEOs, journalists, coaches, trainers, telemarketers, help desk operators, receptionists, lawyers, lecturers, ministers, actors, and late night infomercial gurus.

Additionally, another group of people also have to use oral communication skills to make a living:

Judges, lobbyists, managers, writers, and technicians.

By my estimate, one out of four workers is heavily or moderately dependent on speaking skills for his or her profession. With a world economy close to $40 trillion a year, that means presentation skills play a large part of a $10 trillion segment of our worldwide economy.

And that's why every school child should be taught more about presenting skills. And that's why every adult should strive to improve his or her presenting skills every single day. 

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