People who know me very well know that I am an introvert and somebody who would not be comfortable being in front of a crowd. But I have learned throughout my experience that the great leaders of all time were people who are comfortable with public speaking. I have committed myself in continuous development in the area of public speaking ever since I have made that realization – more than 13 years ago. But that doesn’t mean I’m no longer afraid of speaking in front of a crowd. I channel my energies toward becoming a better presenter every time I do so. That replaces the fear.

Mabuhay!

Further to your points :

I haven’t interviewed for the last 3 positions I’ve filled. I use “positions” instead of job because the latest position is heading up my own consultancy in partnership with a partner (US based – I’m in SA) who’s supporting me.

And a good part of that is keeping good relationships, building your brand online, blogging to share your knowledge.

And presenting.

Marlon, I definitely agree with Brent on Toastmasters – I did some Toastmasters when I was starting out, and it definitely helps, it’s a friendly environment to overcome any fears you have of presenting.

I do believe you can only go so far without becoming a good public speaker – even if it’s not presenting to a user group (which is one of the *easiest* crowds to present to in my experience), it’ll be presenting your project to the end users, presenting your idea to the angel investors, presenting your latest initiative to the board….

It’s hard, but practise : you should be up in front of people speaking at least twice a month to not give enough time to build up fears again.