Brian Hanks

I’ve been speaking a lot for work, lately. Most people list “public speaking” as a fear higher on their most loathed list than death. Not a week has gone by in several months when I’m not in a classroom, conference event, zoom lecture, or podcast recording. I even had a full film crew out to my office for two whole days, recently.

I’m so grateful for my parents (mom, especially) for teaching me how to write a speech and actually practice, and the church I grew up in for all the opportunities to speak regularly in front of large groups of people. Like anything else, the more I’ve practiced and then done the hardest part of practicing (watching or listening to yourself after the fact😬), the more my confidence has grown. It’s really helped in my career and allowed me to feel like I can make a real difference for other people.