Warren Buffett Says There's 1 Skill That Will Raise Your Value by an Astounding 50 PercentIt might not sound important, but it may be exactly what you need right now.

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett has given his fans and shareholders priceless investing advice over the years. But of all the investment choices you can make over a lifetime, which one does Buffett consider to be the best?

It may not be what you think. In fact, it may not even be a blip on your radar screen. It’s working on your public speaking skills.

Here’s what Buffett said to a class of business students at Columbia University in a televised town hall event back in 2009:

Right now, I would pay $100,000 for 10 percent of the future earnings of any of you, so if you’re interested, see me after class. Now, you can improve your value by 50 percent just by learning communication skills–public speaking. If that’s the case, see me after class and I’ll pay you $150,000.

In simple Buffett-speak, the dividend on your public speaking investment will pay off for the rest of your career. He says it’s “an asset that will last you 50 or 60 years. And it’s a liability–if you don’t like doing it or are uncomfortable doing it–that will also last you 50 or 60 years, and it’s a necessary skill.”

This is one of several instances where Buffett has advised us to hone our communication skills as the key to success. Clearly, it has worked for Buffett, as his worth has increased to the tune of nearly $118 billion at last count.

But it didn’t come easy for Buffett, in case the idea of public speaking brings with it your own trepidation. The billionaire has publicly admitted that during high school and college, he was “terrified of public speaking” to the point of throwing up.

Taking a public speaking course at Dale Carnegie changed his life, Buffett has said. When you walk into Buffett’s office in Omaha, the only plaque proudly displayed on the wall isn’t his bachelor of science degree in business administration, which he earned from the University of Nebraska at 19. No, it’s the communication diploma he received in 1952 from Dale Carnegie–the one that transformed him.

Source: https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffett-says-theres-1-skill-that-will-raise-your-value-by-an-astounding-50-percent.html