The Fear of Public Speaking

In a survey done by the Wall Street Journal public speaking was ranked as people’s #1 Fear. Which might seem shocking at first.

Why is Public Speaking So Scary?

Public Speaking is scarier than sharks, spiders, or clowns? But the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Public speaking probably seems like a far more likely challenge they will have to face than a shark, or a swarm of spiders, or clowns with felonious intentions. And! Most people have been encountering spiders and clowns their whole lives, but not everyone has been giving presentations since they were five.

The Role of 4-H in Youth Development

4-H has many programs that bring positive learning opportunities and development for youth. From showing livestock, to learning how to solder mother boards, to learning to sew, and all about nutrition. In all of this, 4-H also provides youth with opportunities to develop soft skills that will help them as they progress through school and into the labor market.

Preparing Youth for the Future

Preparing youth for the next stages seems to be an ever-changing process. Between new emerging markets and the robotizing of old positions, there is a constant need for the acquisition of new hard skills. However, even life-long dedication to learning isn’t enough to make one competitive in the labor market. According to the USAID Office of Education, workers also need to be fluent in several soft skills.

Understanding Soft Skills

What are Soft Skills? For that matter what are Hard Skills? Hard Skills are the culmination of all formal education and technical training with an emphasis on STEM. Soft Skills, however, are knowledge of and ability to utilize relational skills and emotional intelligence. These soft skills are integral to a person’s ability to collaborate with coworkers and to provide superior understanding to clients. Many employers rate the importance of Soft Skills equal to a prospective employee’s skill and training with Hard Skills. Soft Skills that were deemed especially important were high-order thinking skills (or critical thinking/analysis), self-control, social skills or emotional intelligence, and communication.

The Importance of Communication

While all of these skills are important and valued across fields, communication was most often given extremely high importance. Employers found the ability for their employees to clearly and concisely articulate information to both coworkers and clients, through written and oral means, integral to their institution’s success. Further, effective communication often indicates good social and relation skills, increasing effectiveness in teamwork. Most employers actively seek employees who cannot only succeed in a team environment but also thrive in it.

How 4-H Helps Build Soft Skills

Can these Soft Skills be acquired through traditional formal education? What else can be done to expand our young people’s Soft Skills? Soft Skills can be learned, to an extent, through school however, there can never be enough opportunities for teens and younger kids to practice communication and their social relation skills.

NC 4-H Presentation Competition

A great opportunity for youth to engage with one another while building their oral and written communication skills, is to participate in North Carolina 4-H’s Presentation Competition.

Pamlico County 4-H Spring Presentation Group

To prepare for the NC 4-H Southeast District Presentation Competition our youth can participate in our Pamlico County 4-H Spring Presentation Group. In this group, youth will be able to work on their active listening skills, extemporaneous speaking, and formal speaking. By engaging with other youth in team activities, they will develop their relation abilities, and effective communication. Our big project will be for each participant to research and write a presentation and practice for our County Activity Day before going on to our district competition in June.

A young 4-H Cloverbud participant excitedly shares her project after a job well done at the presentation competition!

Get Involved in 4-H Programs

Registration for Upcoming 4-H Fun programs are open! If you have questions about any of these programs or would like more information about 4-H in Pamlico County please give us a call at 252-745-4121, or send me an email at kait_neeland@ncsu.edu.

If you would like to be notified via email about all future programs, please give us a call! You can also get a head start on registration for specific programs by enrolling in Pamlico County 4-H Online. Participation in all NC 4-H Programs requires enrollment in 4-H Online. If you have any questions about accessing 4-H Online or the enrollment process, please give us a call and we will be happy to walk you through it. You can also learn more about 4-H in North Carolina and our programs throughout the year by heading to our website!