Allow me to share my favorite story about a “soft” skill that’s really hard: public speaking. There was a fellow in the sales side of publishing who got beet-red whenever he had to give a presentation. My then-publisher asked me if I thought sending him to Toastmasters was a good idea. He saw this fellow’s nervousness whenever he spoke in a public setting as a real damper on an otherwise rising career. I replied: “Send him tomorrow.”
We’ve often heard that the only fear which surpasses public speaking is the fear of death. Even if that’s hyperbole, for many people the fear of standing up in front of a group and talking borders on paralysis. (I’ve been more nervous speaking in front of a group than fighting in the NAGA World Jiu-Jitsu Championships.) Your mouth goes dry, your hands get shaky, your brain can’t settle on a single coherent thought and the self-doubt rages inwardly, because you begin to question yourself and everything you’ve prepared. (You have prepared, I hope.)