Anyone have an inexplicable ability for Public Speaking?

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For some reason, in my Junior year of High School I discovered that I was particularly skilled public speaker. Anybody else? I have absolutely no clue why or how I got the ability to.

Not me! I’m really bad at it.

i'm super bad at getting people's attention cos my voice is weak and high pitched. however, i capitalise on my quirky sense of humour to keep people's attentions and have been told i'm "personable". when i speak in front of people, i genuinely don't plan it. I just make sure I know about the topic ins and outs and then i improvise. if i like the topic i'll usually sound enthusiastic, if not... it will be complete chaos.

i also don't look at people. it will look like i'm talking to myself or the window.

I joined Toastmasters when I started an ill suited career in sales. It was very difficult for me for the year or two I did Toastmasters.

I've been told by many people throughout my adult life that I have a very nice speaking voice.

I'm assuming that's why I was asked around fifteen years ago to be one of the readers of Scripture (Lector) at church. I've done that in rotation up until a month or so ago, actually. I would practice at home during the week many times. While through the years I've spoken that way hundreds upon hundreds of times sometimes in front of hundreds of people, it was never easy for me and I would go through periods of time where I was utterly gripped with fright to the point of even getting tunnel vision a few times where I was very close to fainting. Thankfully I would go through other periods where it wasn't as big a deal. Overall I'm glad I did that for that long. It was a good example for my kids to see.

About a month ago there was a change in the scheduling which made for a natural opportunity for me to exit out of the rotation. I feel good about doing something well that was at times a tremendous challenge for me. But I do feel a ton of relief having retired myself from it.

That's awesome that you like public speaking and you should be proud of yourself and continue doing what you like!

I have an explicable disability for public speaking.

Only if I'm conveying something dry & technical. That or I only have beer to thank.

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Same here. By fifth grade I was already showing a lot of ASD traits, which my classmates and even teachers mocked me for. Then, that year, I ended up the runner up in the annual speech contest. Everyone was baffled, including myself. This has continued to present day where I can impress people with my presentations. Some of of these people then say “I didn’t know she spoke.”

Yes, if it's just me giving a pre-planned and well rehearsed lecture. A big no if it involves answering spontaneous questions.

Same here. One instance a few years back was on my school’s “Fun Day” at the end of the year. During the activities, my science teacher pulled my class aside because she wanted to finish up science fair presentations. I hadn’t practiced or really prepared at all, but I ended up winning the best presentation award out of the entire sixth grade. My science teacher was just surprised I talked . I have always been better at giving presentations than talking with others, it seems, although I haven’t taken any public speaking classes or anything like that. Most people think I’m going to perform horribly at public speaking as I come across as very passive and shy, and they are often surprised that I could even stand up there, much less give a decent presentation.

There are a lot of examples on this checklist ( https://taniaannmarshall.wordpress.com/ ... -syndrome/ ) about the superior ability to give presentations compared to interacting with others in some autistic people (the list is directed towards adult female Aspies, but really, anyone on the spectrum can have these traits). It’s not uncommon to have this sort of split profile in people on the autistic spectrum.

I am in Toastmasters and enjoy it a lot. I placed second in an Area Evaluation contest. I do best when I speak on a subject I really know about and have researched ahead of time.

I was on a panel at an autism conference a few years ago. The audience laughed at my deadpan delivery. A friend said I was a natural. When I worked at a store I was expected to make announcements about products we had and sales. Other people wrote out the text they would say. I found it easier to write key ideas and then improvise. I work with a man who talks to police about autism. I don't feel very nervous when I talk. I did a presentation and a recent symposium. I was only a little nervous and when a few things went wrong I just forged ahead.

I don't really know what public speaking is. Is it where you talk in a microphone to a large crowd of people at a public event?

That's part of public speaking.

One call also "speak in public" in places like classrooms and libraries.

I also have found I'm strangely good at public speaking. However, it only really works with things I care about and I can only really improvise. I can't write a speech and memorize it. People have told me that when I speak it really resonates with them, but I just feel like I'm ranting pointlessly.