I took the speech class in college.......hated talking in front of people & yet I could perform with my flute & do recitals.

I found that topics I could start out with something humorous & get them chuckling to start with was always the best way....or having something that really grasps their attention so they are thinking on that rather than on me.....was a great way to do it.

It's a good thing I got better at it because I ended up in an engineering career where I always had to give presentations to the military......& then moderate groups. I hated that position but not because I minded the moderation...but I hated feeling like a glorified secretary after so many years as a technical engineer....

Also, I found that subjects that I KNOW better than the back of my own hand.....was really the best....because then all the information was already in my brain & I just had to outline the order I needed it to come out.

Now.....I'm really comfortable talking in front of people......which is really strange because I never thought it would be possible.