As and entrepreneur and mentoring many business owners over the years, one of the biggest hurdles I hear time and again isbuilding a great team. Finding exceptional talent is difficult in times of recessions and growing economic cycles (it’s the same challenge). Ask most business owners and it’s always on their radar – the search for great people. If you are a parent it should be an area we should teach our children (speaking and reading) – but it’s lower on the radar.

There is no question;great leaders of countries, organizations, and social impact contributors are great speakers and great readers. What programs do you have in place for your team to enhance these crucial skills to build out a great team?

Considering the potential benefits of having a team in place that are well read and can actually do the one thing that everyone is frightened of – (next to death and taxes), effectively speak in front of a group.

Personally, I think these 2 skills are crucial in business today in this over-connected, distracted, noise and information overload space – just like you are reading this Linked In post! Consider the benefits for you and your team by studying great speakers from the last 25 years, their traits, Ted X talks, commencement speeches, political hero’s and the technique of this craft. Speaking in front of groups is a learned skill just like anything else and it requires practice.

Both speaking and reading go hand and hand. Most great speakers are well read and can talk on a multitude of subjects. Most importantly (depending on the venue), they know their topic exceptionally well, through thorough preparation. The real value for the speaker and audience is interaction – (LISTENING skills), throughQ&A sessions and engagement to lead to actions.

Personal development (self-help) is a topic that has been around since Hesiod’s “Works and Days”. Others include: Aristotle, Benjamin Franklin, “Poor Richards Almanac”, Ralph Waldo Emerson “Compensation”, Napoleon Hill “Think and Grow Rich”, Dale Carnegie “How To Win Friends and Influence People”, James Allen “As A Man Thinketh”. Consider what could happen with your organization’s culture by adding in a program of speaking and reading.

Human Capital – Speaking and Reading Team Plan:

1. With new team members onboarding program – automatically include a speaking course/program, (accountability plan as well)
2. Build out a library online, in the office of a series of must read’s that are applicable to the specific business, culture and what clients are also reading (both fiction and non-fiction).

The same plan can be provided for our next generation of leaders with these crucial skills. Teaching kids the impact of these two things that can enhance life success – no matter how it’s defined. Let’s all consider educating children on how to speak effectively in front of a group, (while overcoming fear) and building a reading plan into their habits.

School is great, but just as important – what happens when the child gets home – 3PM-bedtime?

Speaking and Reading are two of my personal passions and our team is working on new fun and free toolkit for schools to enhance these skills for kids. Announcement and launch coming this year – in the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about the programfor your schools or organization, please let me know.