Can You Learn Public Speaking at Any Age?
I was thinking about a few fun things I would do when I have kids.
One thing wasn’t so fun.
That was to make them work.
I want my kids to work at an early age.
Calm down!
Not the physical back-breaking work.
I’m talking about mental work.
They will have physical chores, yes.
But they need to get in the habit of creating ideas.
Whenever they create a great idea that will benefit the household, I will reward them.
Using the mental faculties at an early age builds confidence.
It teaches the kid to:
- Think a thought.
- Act on it.
Many adults can do neither.
They think they think, while in reality, their mind wanders.
- Mind wandering is purposeless, while thinking is purposeful.
- Thinking has a goal, while mind wandering doesn’t.
It’s not only about thinking though.
Others need to understand our thoughts.
That’s where public speaking comes in…
Can Kids Learn Public Speaking?
The answer is yes.
If a kid can argue with you, then they can learn public speaking.
When a kid argues, they show they can:
- Find a desire (candy).
- Make a compelling case for it.
- Maintain concentration.
- Deal with the emotional roller coaster of arguing with their parents.
All these micro-skills will make for a great public speaker.
The idea of teaching kids public speaking isn’t mainstream, yet.
It should be though.
Public speaking is a mental sport.
There are different ways to gamify it.
By teaching kids public speaking at an early age, it’ll be a part of them.
Soon, glossophobia won’t be the #1 fear on the planet.
Aka: the fear of public speaking.
Can Elderly Folks Learn Public Speaking?
I would say it’s harder for elderly folks to learn public speaking than younger folks.
Especially if the older folks have spent decades running away from the stage.
I met a guy like this in Toastmasters before.
I bring him up in the opening monologue of my book, Speak Easy.
He spent years running away from the public speaking stage.
At this point, he was at least in his 60s.
He came to one Toastmasters meeting filled with pride.
‘It took me decades to muster up the courage to get here today,’ he said.
He was acting like he already conquered the fear.
Sure, coming to the meeting was an accomplishment but he still needed to talk!
When he was called to give a table topics speech, he choked.
Didn’t say a word.
It was like a deer staring at the headlines.
Most of the members didn’t think much of it, but this old guy did.
After the meeting, he told me that he was never coming back again.
Just like that, he quit.
Never knew what happened to him after.
It’s harder for older people to learn public speaking because they are less of a blank slate.
They have more limiting beliefs.
Can an Elderly Person Learn Public Speaking?
The answer is yes!
If you don’t believe me, go to your local Toastmasters club.
Most of the members have white hair.
If you ask them about their story, they will tell you that they spent most of their lives being afraid of getting on stage.
One day, they just had ENOUGH.
In that fed-up state, they came to the Toastmasters meeting and talked.
Not only once…
They kept coming back.
We can’t achieve big goals if we are just positive all the time.
We need negative energy as well.
When we are fed up with how things are, we want more!
A lot of folks who made it to their 60s without ever learning public speaking are fed up.
In that fed-up state, they have 2 options.
- Throw in the towel.
- Get on the stage.
What will they choose?
It’s Never Too Early or Too Late to Learn Public Speaking
There’s always going to be articles that come out spreading limiting beliefs.
Some “neuroscientists” will be like:
‘It’s not healthy to teach kids at the age of 6 public speaking.’
Other “neuroscientists” will be like:
‘At age 65, it becomes 95% unlikely to conquer stage fright.’
All nonsense.
It’s never too early or too late to learn public speaking.
- Kids need guidance.
- Adults need heart.
The kid will do something if it’s gamified.
They have no problem sitting in front of a TV with a controller in their hands because they feel the dopamine of conquering levels.
Public speaking must be turned into a game for them to actively pursue it.
Adults need heart.
They logically know why they should learn public speaking.
It may be to create a talk for a best man speech, give a work presentation, feel more confident, etc.
For them to turn logic into practice, they need pain.
Invite the bad emotions.
The bad emotions will fuel them to succeed.
That’s why I was disappointed in that old guy who quit after 1 Toastmasters meeting.
I wanted him to know that within a few days, most of the members would have forgotten his choke job.
However, he would remember for life that he quit so soon.
He didn’t listen.
It’s because he pushed the pain away rather than inviting it in.
Learn Public Speaking
Learn public speaking at whichever age.
For me, I began to take it more seriously in my 20s.
I’ve seen people learn it at age 15 all the way to 75.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the age range gets younger in the future.
I have no clue why anyone would enroll their kids to play football.
All those helmets ramming into each other.
No thanks…
It is wiser to teach kids public speaking rather than having them play football and put holes in their brains.
The mind is a weapon.
We want it to compound with knowledge over time.
One of the best ways for the mind to compound towards greatness is to learn public speaking from an early age.
For more public speaking insights, check out the Speaking Wizard eBook:
– ArmaniTalks 
