Speaking in public

As I've said in the past public speaking would never be my chosen 'specialist subject'. But today I went on a skills course focused on this area and was amazed that I'm not so bad after all. Breaks included, the dozen or so attendees were engaged in the mechanics of presentations and public speaking for nigh on 9 hours. I learned quite a lot over the day, such as techniques on how to relax and how to focus, and not least the fact that even after minimal practice my legs don't actually have to turn into strawberry jelly when I'm standing in front of people, nor does my voice have to climb up two extra octaves. The fact that we were all active participants proved to be key. I left the whole event warm and fuzzy, knowing that I'd added some value to my Monday and had engaged in something that had filled me with dread the minute I'd rocked up this morning. I'm glad that I pushed myself a little. Big gold star.