AbstractsSociology

The Relevance of Public Speaking for Entrepreneurial Success

by Gabriela Negru




Institution: Roskilde University
Department:
Year: 2015
Keywords: Public speaking; entrepreneurial success; social capital; networking
Record ID: 1120365
Full text PDF: http://rudar.ruc.dk/handle/1800/18480


Abstract

From previous experiences and examples, we have identified a pressing problem in the field of social entrepreneurship: the lack of networking among social entrepreneurs, mainly due to a lack of networking skills. This subject sparked very interesting discussions within our group, especially when considering the increasing development and importance of communication in modern society and connecting it with one’s abilities of speaking in public. Thus, this project sets out to analyze the concept of entrepreneurial success and the influence that good public speaking skills might have upon it. In our case study, we are keen on finding out three main aspects of this problem: how social capital is built through public speaking and what are the implications, the skill’s nature - whether it is an innate potential, a skill that is learned and developed, or a combination of both, and, ultimately, the continuous interaction and influence between the development of this skill and the environment. The path that our research followed was very inspiring and motivating, leading us to the conclusion that public speaking, as a skill, whether innate or learned, is something that can be improved and developed, something that is highly influenced by the surrounding environment and past experiences and, nevertheless, according to our empirical data, something that is crucial not only in the field of social entrepreneurship, but in business in general. The research then leads the way to more in-depth studies, which can conduct towards a solution for the problematic lack of networking, thus increasing the success of social enterprises in particular, but also entrepreneurial success in general.