In a recent Inc.com article, Carmine Gallo, the author of best-selling book Talk Like TED, suggests that "public speaking Is no longer a 'soft skill.'" 

The article is worth reading, but here's a few key takeaways (quotations) worth noting.

• In a new LinkedIn analysis, "persuasion" was one of the top skills "most worth learning" in 2019. "Strengthening a soft skill is one of the best investments you can make in your career, as they never go out of style," according to the study.
• Warren Buffett would agree. Whenever Buffett is asked about the one most valuable skill that anyone can build today, he says public speaking. He even puts a value on it, which I wrote about in this article. "The one easy way to become worth 50 percent more than you are now -- at least -- is to hone your communication skills -- both written and verbal," Buffett says.
• [Deirdre] McCloskey reached the following conclusion: Persuasion is responsible for generating one-quarter of America's total national income. She expects it to rise to 40 percent over the next 20 years. McCloskey's research was taken up by another economist in Australia who reached a similar conclusion.

Impressive!