Last night, I bought some books on public speaking because, well, I simply suck in front of the crowd.  I got a long road ahead, starting with overcoming stage fright, going blank, and talking too fast.  Admitting that I suck is the first step.  Why do I go to all this trouble?  Because I think I got some great stuff hiding inside the shell that will knock people out.  No, I don't mean my gas problem.  Wish me luck.

Update: Since one of the goals I have for my blog is to be more informative, here is the list of books I am reading.

• Smart Speaking – nice collection of short pieces addressing individual problems.
• How to Say It: with Your Voice – strong in voice training.  I know that a good voice affects not only the listeners, but also the speaker, so this is good.
• You Public Best – this one is for media training (as in TV appearances) but it has some unique tips I found interesting.

If you have a book suggestion, let me know.