In high school our debate team went to a clinic one summer. We rode the subway home with the producer of a new debate show on NY educational TV, so he invited us to be on the first one. I got to be on, since the topic was one I had researched. My appearance on Jeopardy had slightly better ratings ( > 3 figures 
)
I also give lots of technical papers, and have run a lot of panels at conferences. For the past few years I’ve been on the exec committee, so I get to sit on the stage during the plenary and introduce speakers or give out awards.
Spookiest was when I got an award at the Anaheim convention center, which looked just like the place where Billy Pilgrim got shot in Slaughterhouse Five.
I don’t seem to suffer from stage fright.
I’m a ham, a Jewish ham.
Most recently, I did a one man show on the streets of Philadelphia as part of the Fringe festival. I dressed as a priest of Cthulhu, proseltyzed, handed out religious tracts, sang, and did Cthulhu toy theatre. I had a very tough time convincing people that I was doing an act and not just a genuine lunatic.
One day, I ran into a Jew For Jesus. I stood next to him and ranted on how we were both missionaries for Jews For Cthulhu. I did this for several hours, in a voice that could be heard at least a block away.
Currently, I am finishing up a gaudily patterned terrycloth top hat and tail coat to use for sidewalk clowning in Philadelphia.
My Thread On Cthulhu Preaching
Anyrose’s pcis of me in top hat and tails. Sadly, the flash wasn’t working and the shots are underlit.
I usually avoid public speaking at all costs. I hate it. I get nervous, my face turns red, I talk too fast, forget things, etc.
I’ve had to talk in front of a few classes and give presentations (all small ones) and I did Mock Trial in high school. You have a team and a ‘case’ (just a bunch of info/facts) and you practice and go to the courthouse and try your case against another team in front of real lawyers and judges. I played a crucial witness in one case, hated it, and switched to time keeper afterwards. Being a witness was a lot of acting, which I’m just not good at.
But no big audiences, no. I get way too intimidated. In high school, getting up in front of a room of people I’d known for years still freaked me out.
I tend to do some speaking work with students – get up, talk about a) my background, b) what I do, c) how my background has affected my life/work/etc.
First summer or so, I was petrified. As the bouts have gone on, I’ve loosened up to realize that people are not going to point and laugh at me for sharing my experiences. I’ve yet to see a rude question, too. The student groups have ranged from about 20 to… uh, maybe 80?
Now I just do my best to engage the kids and don’t really worry about the details.
I did speech team my freshman year of high school. My events were Oratory, Verse, and Extemp. I sucked at the first two, but was okay at the third. Unfortunately, the coach left after my freshman year, so I didn’t get to do it again.
I’ve also had to read my own poetry and prose in front of an audience several times, and some of those audiences were pretty indimidating. Normally, I’m very, very shy, to the point where it’s almost disabling; for some reason, though, public speaking doesn’t bother me at all. I’m actually better in front of an audience than I am in a larger group of my friends.
While on temporary duty at the Great Lakes Naval station, I was twice an anchor on the public access news show we produced each week. The regular guy had laryngitis, and everyone one else available to fill in at the last minute was either the wrong size to fit into the clothes or, ahem, had a face for radio. That was in 1983, and while I’m not sure how many people actually tuned in, I was getting comments about it from people who had seen it, even after I had transferred to Florida.
A couple of years ago, some friends who had a band let me sing the lead in a Denis Leary song (gee, guess which one) onstage. That was fun, and I did a pretty good job. There were a couple of dozen people there (including club employees). Some friends of mine came specifically to mock me, but ended up saying that I did a good job for an amateur.
I bet you know my uncle’s brother-in-law. He’s been working with the television part of the Pirates forever.
I perform about twice a week as a violist in local L.A. symphonies and chamber recitals.
It’s not usually solo stuff, but I guess it counts.
Yep. I’m an open mic / slampoet in Chicago. fairly well known in a fairly small circle.
I’ve performed with various bands off and on since (gulp!) 1963. I agree with mack . Performing solo is infinitely more difficult than with a group, but I’ve managed to pull it off on countless occassions. Groups I’ve played with have performed for as few as a roomful and as many as several thousand, which (money aside) doesn’t really seem to matter much.