Palu – A team of researchers from the Communication Studies Program, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Tadulako reported in 2026 that structured public speaking training significantly improved communication confidence and message delivery skills among employees of PT Telkom Sulawesi Bagian Tengah (Sulbagteng). The findings, published in the Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Formosa, highlight how practical communication training strengthens workplace performance and service quality in modern organizations.
The study was conducted by Sumarni Zainuddin, Donal Adrian, Muhammad Khairil, Muhammad Wahid, A. Febri Herawati N, Giska Mala Rahmarini, Pusparani Sahran Putri, Achmad Herman, Fadhliah, Sitti Chaeriah Ahsan, Moch. Rezky Ramadhan, and Magfirah Atsari Ayu Fadli from Universitas Tadulako. Their work demonstrates that public speaking training is not only a personal development tool but also a strategic institutional investment in improving professional communication across service-based sectors.
Effective communication has become a critical competency in the digital service economy. Employees working in telecommunications companies such as PT Telkom Sulbagteng frequently interact with customers, stakeholders, and internal teams. Clear verbal delivery, confident presentation, and structured messaging are essential for maintaining service quality and organizational credibility.
However, the Universitas Tadulako research team found that many employees initially experienced anxiety when speaking in front of audiences. Common challenges included fear of making mistakes, difficulty organizing ideas spontaneously, and concern about losing audience attention. These communication barriers can reduce workplace effectiveness if not addressed through targeted training programs.
The training program lasted approximately 120 minutes and used a participatory learning approach known as Participatory Action Research. This method encourages active involvement from participants while solving practical communication problems in real time. Employees received instruction on the fundamentals of public speaking, communication anxiety awareness, interactive discussion sessions, and live speaking simulations in front of peers.
During the sessions, participants practiced structuring ideas clearly and delivering messages confidently to audiences. The training emphasized that public speaking is not an innate talent but a professional skill that can be strengthened through consistent practice and guided instruction.
One of the central frameworks introduced in the program was the 3V communication strategy: verbal, vocal, and visual delivery. Verbal communication focuses on word selection and message clarity. Vocal communication refers to tone, volume, and rhythm of speech. Visual communication includes body language, posture, facial expression, and eye contact with audiences.
The Universitas Tadulako research team reported that participants became more aware of how delivery style influences audience understanding. Body language alone contributes up to 55 percent of communication effectiveness, making visual presentation a critical component of professional speaking performance.
Interactive discussions between trainers and participants also helped employees recognize the importance of structured idea transfer within organizational communication. Employees increasingly understood that public speaking is not limited to formal presentations but is essential for daily workplace interaction, leadership communication, and customer engagement.
According to Sumarni Zainuddin from Universitas Tadulako, communication skills play a decisive role in strengthening both individual career development and institutional service quality. She explained that consistent speaking practice allows employees to become more confident, persuasive, and effective in delivering information to diverse audiences.
The training produced measurable improvements in employee confidence during presentations and customer communication scenarios. Participants demonstrated stronger message organization, clearer delivery, and improved audience engagement after completing the program. These outcomes suggest that short-duration communication workshops can generate meaningful professional development benefits within corporate environments.
The impact of the program extends beyond internal communication improvement. Stronger public speaking ability enables employees to explain services more effectively to customers, respond to questions with greater clarity, and represent organizational values more professionally. As a result, communication training contributes directly to customer trust and institutional reputation.
The Universitas Tadulako team also emphasized that public speaking competence supports leadership development, negotiation skills, and teamwork performance. These competencies are increasingly important in organizations operating in fast-changing technological environments where collaboration and adaptability are essential.
Sumarni Zainuddin of Universitas Tadulako noted that public speaking is a trainable competency that becomes stronger through repeated practice. She explained that structured communication exercises help reduce anxiety and allow employees to deliver ideas more confidently in both formal presentations and digital communication platforms.
The findings demonstrate that participatory communication training models can serve as practical solutions for organizations seeking to strengthen workforce communication capacity. The approach developed by the Universitas Tadulako researchers provides a scalable training framework that can be implemented across public institutions, private companies, and educational organizations.
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