TJ Walker argues you should develop speaking skills before you need them, using George W. Bush as an example. Bush's speaking style drew media mockery in 2006, but Walker says improving now prevents attacks later and helps your career.
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We've all heard the expression dress for the job you want, not the job you're currently in. It makes sense. The idea is if people start seeing you as more executive material, then you're likely to get get that job a little faster. Plus, once you do get the promotion, people don't have a hard time seeing you there and seeing you as perfectly fit for that job. So it makes sense when it comes to dress. Guess what? It also makes sense to learn how to speak for the job you want, not the job you have. A lot of us have jobs that don't require us to speak a great deal. But if we aspire to the next position up or two positions up, that job might require us to speak a lot and to speak effectively in front of groups. A lot of executives make this mistake. They think, well, you know, my job doesn't require a lot of speaking now. I'll worry about building my speaking skills later when I need it. Well, that might be a good strategy, but it might not. George W. Bush was a private citizen involved with his own private, relatively small companies in 1994. By 2000, he was president. Obviously, his less than great speaking style didn't prevent him from becoming president. But his speaking skills certainly have not been a huge asset to him during his presidency either. Journalists can't seem to get enough of it when it comes to mocking Bush's speaking skills. Here's an Associated Press article that ran April 6, 2006. It was devoted to ridiculing Bush's speaking skills. Charlotte, North Carolina. Associated Press cameras were rolling. Microphones were on. President Bush stepped up to comment on a Senate compromise on immigration legislation. Wait, was it energy or immigration? Maybe Bush had rising gas prices on his mind when he said he was pleased pleased that Republicans and Democrats were working together to get a bipartisan, comprehensive energy bill. Realizing his mistake, he stopped and called for a take two. Let me start over, bush said, standing next to Air Force One. Bush, often the first to admit that he's not a great orator, got it right the second time. I'm pleased that Republicans and Democrats in the United States Senate are working together to get a comprehensive immigration bill, Bush said. I want to thank the efforts of those involved in the process. So what's my point here? Don't give the news media or any of your enemies in your own office, your own organization, any excuse to attack you unless you've decided. I don't ever want to get any advancement the rest of my life. I don't ever want to be in a position of authority, then start now learning how to be a better speaker, how to be a better presenter. That way, when you are in the limelight, when you do have that higher position of authority and you occasionally make a mistake, people won't even think to attack you because your mistakes will be so rare. You'll consistently speak at a high level and your communication will be seen as a consistent asset.
