While a picture may be worth a thousand words, those words will certainly come in handy if the picture is distorted or misunderstood. After all, the best way to communicate is through speech.

The four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing are all interconnected. Mastery of each skill is necessary to become a well-rounded communicator, but the ability to speak skillfully provides the speaker with several distinct advantages. The ability to put words together in meaningful ways to reflect thoughts, opinions, and feelings gives the speaker these important advantages:

• Ability to inform, persuade and lead.. Business managers, educators, military leaders, lawyers and politicians, among others, seek to develop their oral skills to such a level that they become master communicators. Speaking clearly and confidently can attract the attention of an audience, providing a golden opportunity for the speaker to get the message across. Wise is the speaker who wins and then retains the attention of an audience, with well-chosen words in a well-pronounced presentation, forming a message that is effective, informative and understood.

• Ability to stand out from the rest.. When one thinks of speaking skills, one tends to think of it as a common skill. Think again. The ability to stand up in front of others and speak effectively is no ordinary skill. Many are deathly afraid of public speaking; others have little ability to turn thoughts into sentences and then pronounce those words believably. The bad news is that, at any given time, the world has very few with the talking skills of Winston Churchill; The good news is that a speaker with skills honed and developed with consistent application and hard work can excel.

• Ability to benefit derivatively. Well-developed verbal skills can increase negotiation skills. Self-confidence is improved. A growing sense of comfort comes from speaking in front of larger and larger audiences. A reputation for excellence in speaking skills can grow over time, thus imparting some credibility to the speaker.

• career improvement. Employers have always valued the ability to speak well. It is, and always will be, an important skill, and one worth the effort to fully develop.

Speaking skills are important to career success, but they are certainly not limited to one’s career aspirations. Speaking skills can enhance a person’s personal life and thus bring about the fulfillment that we should all seek.