Yes, public speaking is generally classified as a soft skill. Quick test: does it center on communicating and working with people rather than a tool? It does. Strong soft skills, especially public speaking, helped her win the promotion.
Recognition Test and Nearby Categories
Recognition test: does the skill center on communicating and working with people, rather than on operating a tool or technique? If yes, it is a soft skill. Public speaking passes: it is classified as a soft skill.
Hard skill contrast: spreadsheet software centers on operating a specific tool. You either can run the program or you cannot, which makes it a hard skill, not a people skill.
Neighboring soft skill: negotiation centers on reading people and reaching agreement, like public speaking. If She negotiated the contract calmly sounds like the same family as She spoke confidently to the crowd, the test holds.
Tool-based skills point at software or machines. People-based skills point at an audience or a colleague.
The One Boundary Worth Checking
The boundary worth checking is the word soft itself. It describes the category, not the difficulty or importance. A vendor claim that public speaking is no longer merely a 'soft' skill is really arguing about how valuable the skill is, not reclassifying it into a different category.
So the debate over how essential public speaking is leaves the classification untouched: whether a job posting calls it critical or optional, it stays a soft skill. The word soft marks the category, not the difficulty or importance, and a skill can sit firmly in this category while being highly valued and demanding to master.