How do great public speakers happen?
If you’re a person who can relate to any of the above reasons not to speak, you may also be under the impression that some people just have a knack for public speaking and some people don’t. Well, where did these people with a knack for public speaking actually acquire it? In most cases, it turns out to have been practice and encouragement. When they were four years old they got up in front of their parents and talked, and their parents laughed at all their jokes. So they got up in front of the aunts, uncles and grandparents and talked, and the extended family likewise laughed at all their jokes. Then it was the neighborhood, the school plays and running for student body president. When you put it all together, they got a lot of practice and a lot of encouragement. Perhaps you could collect for yourself a “knack” for public speaking. There are techniques and skills involved in public speaking that can be learned. With practice and encouragement, a person with an utter dread of speaking
