Optimalisasi Kemampuan Komunikasi dan Kepercayaan Diri Siswa SMK Jayawisata 2 Jakarta Timur melalui Program Pelatihan Berbicara di Depan Umum

Abstract

The demands of the digital era require Vocational High School (SMK) students to equip themselves with adequate communication skills, particularly public speaking. In reality, most students still face obstacles when speaking in front of large audiences, including low self-confidence, nervousness, and difficulty organizing and conveying ideas systematically. Based on this issue, this community service activity was conducted with the aim of building students' self-confidence while sharpening their communication skills through a public speaking training program. The activity was held at SWINS Campus during the first week of May 2026, attended by 40 students along with 2 accompanying teachers from SMK Jayawisata 2, East Jakarta. The approach applied was educational and participatory, encompassing material delivery, interactive discussion sessions, hands-on practice, presentation simulations, and outcome measurement through pretest and post-test evaluations. Based on the evaluation results, all assessment indicators showed improvement, marked by an increase in the average score from 62 (pretest) to 84 (post-test). The most significant improvement was recorded in the aspect of self-confidence when speaking in public. These findings indicate that public speaking training is effective in developing students' communication skills and soft skills as preparation for facing the demands of the workforce in the digital era.