Speaking skill performance enhancement in entrepreneurial customs for social workers

SPEAK Project- a co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union aimed at exploring the potential of public speaking and entrepreneurial skills to attain high ranking results, conceivable for adults in the process of personal and professional development through advanced communication, with a focus on public speaking ability. The project had five European partners from Austria, Sweden, Turkey, and Italy. The Project’s main objectives are to promote the innovative educational format of speaking skills, co-creation, and peer interaction. Also, it reduces the social exclusion and discrimination of marginalized groups by piloting a design for educational offers targeted at social organizations and businesses to develop their capacities in speaking publicly.  

Theoretical Knowledge about Public Speaking and its Application in Entrepreneurial Fields

Daily, from how we talk to our work, communication plays a vital role in our lives. Vigano (2003) notes that the term “communication,” used worldwide, at the beginning of its dissemination, took the meaning from the Latin root “communis” which signifies that communication was an act of sharing. In the West, the art of oratory was born in the B.C in Greece (Magna). The role of rhetoric, therefore, stood opposite to the authoritative use of power using speech.

From Oratory to Public Speaking

The ancient orators like Plato, Homer, society were able to induce changes through their passion and words (Neil,2010). Currently, the oratory has different connotations related to all the evolution that occurred through history; but the objective that a correct knowledge of the art of public speaking has remained the same. Anytime people think about public speaking, the first thing that comes to mind is the clapping before entering, a vast crowd, etc. Nonetheless, speaking in public does not only constitute these features. Speaking in front of friends, family, acquaintances, or strangers is all forms of public speaking. Some events have profoundly modified our lifestyle, consumption habits, and even how we interpret reality; hence, the reason why public speaking is emphasized not only for its relevance in business (entrepreneurship) but also for its impacts on society and the world. As Griffin (2012) argued, the connection that produces the art can generate a sharing of information, thoughts, ideas, and suggestions to create a community where we can recognize ourselves as members of something. Thus, “why is public speaking so vital in life? Typically, this happens when people do not know how to express their point of view on issues. Once people engage in this aspect, something changes in people’s attitudes and their way of reasoning. By doing that, people can control their everyday circumstances, be aware of approaching life, business opportunities, and transform. As people, we become aware that our communication can be one of the best weapons to take with us in both the present and future.

Practicing and learning how to become competent and confident in public speaking can be a creative and fun moment. The fundamental part is that participating in a Public Speaking class can be a thrilling, motivational and insightful experience that can contribute to developing character and communication ability.

Could you imagine the business world without the opportunity to follow a public speaking course? These will make people not confident in their communication and everyday activities. Public Speaking in the educational system does not want to seem something only related to business. However, somebody can apply it in all walks of life. Students’ and young people’s public speaking skills are not connected only to their future professional terms, but it is more relevant: individual growth.

Background Information on the Educational needs and Socio-economic Exclusion Issues

Public speaking skills should not be a need dedicated to professionals only. Public speaking is the ultimate way to make people stand for their rights and increase awareness of their conditions. Regarding immigrants, this should be an opportunity to gather people, reduce racism, xenophobia, and biases, improve their needs, and make their voice count in society. Indeed, public narratives on refugees and other migrants have become more negative in the last decade. For instance, some media focus on migrants’ perceived propensity to commit crimes and terrorist acts rather than their impact on the labor market (Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants: Sweden country profile). It is time to give migrants tools to be an active part of their rights’ defense. 

To get skills in public speaking, migrants should first learn the language, Swedish, or at least English. Some educational programs already exist at a European level to help assess migrants’ skills and qualifications. The European Commission has offered over 100,000 refugees and newly arrived migrants access to Online Linguistic Support (Europa. E.U.). The initiative aims to help individuals integrate into their host society by providing the opportunity to learn the local language. Even though it is much more appreciated to speak the local language, speaking English in Sweden is not nonsense. In 2017 Sweden ranked 2nd out of 80 countries in the E.F. English Proficiency Index (People in Sweden speak excellent English, 2018) (EF EPI), which measures the language proficiency of non-native speaking countries. Therefore, Sweden is the perfect place to learn English and then to improve its speaking skills. In January 2017, the government (Utbildningsdepartementet, 2017) announced a significant and long-term investment aiming to support the capacity of municipalities and free school owners to provide newly arrived students with an education of high quality. The document does not provide a high level of details. However, it appears from the record that investment in language learning, study counselors, and teachers’ didactical skills are the most relevant areas. The program stretches from 2017 to 2025, with a total budget of 2,138 million SEK. The Swedish National Agency for Education (SNAE) is responsible for allocating the resources. It should be necessary to make public speaking an ordinary skill to teach to migrants. As soon as migrants improve their English, they can be heard, understood, and convey ideas and emotions. 

In 2019, OECD highlighted what could be changed by the Swedish government to improve migrants’ inclusion in Sweden’s schools (How to improve migrants’ inclusion in Sweden’s schools? 2019). According to this organization, the Swedish government should revise the procedures to recruit teachers from migrant backgrounds. Future teachers should be offered financial support during the necessary Preparation to become a teacher to motivate them. They should also be recruited from diverse backgrounds, offering them a student-teacher relationship more adapted to their needs. This new student-teacher relationship could be the opportunity to improve public speaking skills in a climate of Confidence. The OECD’s report also underlines the importance of promoting individualized learning plans in the early stages of the integration process. It should be a part of a whole continuing process, including students’ families as part of the language learning process. At the same time, it promotes pluralism in schools, enhancing migrants’ language diversity and ensuring that the migrant students do not lose contact with their mother tongues. Finally, the OECD’s report insists on the necessity of “managing diversity across educational communities in times of more diverse immigrant flows.” It includes the need to make changes in the curriculum and to provide training in diversity management. This measure could allow school leaders and teachers to handle increasingly diverse schools, allowing them to give students, families, and teachers the support they need.

Swedish Law already gives some importance to immigrants’ words, mainly about children’s immigration. According to the Migration Agency, “all children have the right to have their say. Their reasons for seeking asylum as a child are examined individually and may have other reasons for seeking asylum than the parents” (Migrationsverket, 2021). If individuality is recognized, then it is of paramount importance to develop people’s voice and public speaking skills, as each individual must be heard and then be able to convey their message.   

Someone can give tips to people willing to teach migrants how to talk about immigration or to migrants themselves who are eager to talk about their conditions. For instance, building empathy is probably the first step to connect people. To do so, expressing its feelings through speech is the most appropriate way (Goodman, 2019). Also, people should feel comfortable discussing the topic of immigration. A UK think-tank (British Future) dealing with immigration and integration already tried to gather people on this topic in 2016, with the help of the Home Affairs Select Committee. The purpose was to hold a National Conversation on Immigration, holding citizens panels in 60 towns and cities across the U.K., inspired by efforts at public engagement in Canada, to discuss the topics (apolitical, 2019). It shows that there are still many projects to carry out to gather people. Discussing, thinking outside the box, and bringing new ideas should be the goals to reach speaking skills.