When I was in my early twenties, I got involved in a public speaking group. I didn't get involved because I liked speaking. I got involved because I was terrified of speaking. I had such a hard time verbally expressing myself, that I couldn't even call the doctor's office and make an appointment for my children without writing out word-for-word what I was going to say before picking up the phone.
After lots of practice and encouragement, I did start feeling more confident speaking in public and communicating in general. Eventually, I started taking speech classes at a local community college. As I learned more about how to develop and structure impromptu and formal speeches, I realized that not only had I gained confidence, but I had also found new tools to help give structure to my own thinking.
Over time, the structures I had learned for speaking became part of the way I processed my own thoughts. For example, I learned that just like when you give a speech, it often helps to introduce what you want to talk about when talking with friends or co-workers. For instance, if I wanted to propose a solution to a mutual problem, I might say, " When you have a few minutes, I'd like to talk with you. I've been thinking about the problem you and I discussed last week. I'd like to run a couple of ideas by you and see if it is something that might help. When would be a good time to get together?"
I used to believe that I was just no good at persuasion or reasoning - I think I might have gotten that impression from my dad. Yet once I learned some basic patterns for persuasive appeals, I had much more succcess influencing others. By organizing my thoughts and communicating in a way that first helped people recognize their own needs, it became much easier to help people accept the proposals that addressed those needs.
For me, the communication field has been a great discipline for the mind.
