Public speaking

I love words, and reading, and only slightly less, writing.  But I love spoken words the most, when I have an idea - or listen to someone who has an idea - and find exactly the right words that convey the idea from the correct perspective and the listener understands precisely what I intend them to understand.  [Ironically, I just had to go back and re-write that sentence.]

I love public speaking, though I've rarely had occasion to do so.  I don't really enjoy research, or trying to learn about an unfamiliar topic in order to speak of it to others; but put me in a room full of people and ask me about something that I have experienced personally and I have a sense of purpose that I can't seem to find in any other activity.  I have found, however, that I need to see the point in order for it to really be effective for me.  Speaking to groups for the purpose of practicing speaking to groups doesn't work.  I need to understand that I'm talking about something that matters to people who can do something about it or intend to share that experience. 

I would love to get into motivational speaking, but I haven't the faintest idea how to go about it.  I'm a constantly exhausted stay-at-home mom with a Bachelor of Science degree and some fairly major medical issues. But I watch TED talks and find my inner self weeping with longing. 

We were invited to speak to small groups at a conference next year, and I was instantly excited about it.  But there's such an aspect of pride involved, trying to determine if my story will truly help or if I simply think I know better than the others and they really should listen to me so I can sort it all out.  Not to mention that my thought processes are all on myself, though they asked us to come talk as a couple.  I guess there's a bit more internal work to do.

At some point I should mention that my hand function is returned to normal, and I worry a little bit about how many medications I'm taking now, and that I actually can't find just the right word all the time anymore.  People keep trying to reassure me that it's a normal part of parenting and getting older, but it's a marked difference pre- and post-stroke.  If public speaking really is a direction in which I'm heading, I hope it doesn't have any affect on my ability to do so.