Why public speaking bootcamp is not effective

Why Public Speaking Bootcamp Is Not Effective

We tend to think that ‘bootcamps’ are a quick and powerful way to get our skills up to a certain level and give us a jump start into a new skill set. While this may be the case in some fields, it simply is not true for public speaking.

There are a number of reasons for this, but perhaps the most pertinent one is that ‘public speaking skills’are not a broad, universal set of skills that we can all attain in the same way. Developing your public speaking skills is an incredibly personal, individual journey that requires sensitivity and expertise.

A bootcamp throws together a group of individuals at different skill levels, with different strengths and weaknesses, and gives them a blanket course without nuance or any customisation.

It is much more valuable to have an individual needs-based assessment that allows you to focus your time on your weaknesses and learn how to further improve on your strengths.

A bootcamp will also focus on the main points of public speaking, which you may already have mastered intuitively, rather than teaching you in-depth, individual skills in regards to how your voice works physically, and how you can use your physicality to improve your public speaking skills.

Furthermore, a bootcamp is not tailored to the context of your public speaking engagements. If you’re working towards a specific event - such as an important presentation or a best man speech at a wedding, a bootcamp for public speaking will not focus on your individual requirements or teach you the understanding and skills you will need for that specific event.

While a public speaking bootcamp will undoubtedly give you a logical understanding of what public speaking requires, it will not be able to give you effective training for your specific needs and your natural, innate abilities.