The late Carol Channing held that “the safest place in the world to be is centre stage.”
It is.
I have never been even mildly afraid to appear onstage and hold an audience. Not exactly like Ted Koppel, who claimed that an EKG before and after the camera’s red light turned on wouldn’t show even a blip, I do get a normal adrenaline surge, but either it goes away or I use it.
I’ve been doing public speaking since 1989 and I’ve really borked it only once. I like to say I could host the halftime show at the Super Bowl and I want to be taken up on that offer, thanks.
Now ax me about that other time things went wrong and I’ll see if I can tell you what happened without accurately describing it.