February 26, 2009, was one of the most bizarre days in the old man's life.

I was scheduled to speak at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, because we Ron Paulians had decided to make our presence heard there, and I was chatting with my friend Dan McCarthy (whom you've heard many times on the Tom Woods Show) before the big ballroom was opened to the public.

Then the doors opened, and I'll never forget what happened next.

Out of nowhere, I was surrounded by a mob of people, all asking for pictures or signed books or for a moment of my time so they could pay me a kind compliment. Nothing like it had ever happened to me.

Sure, people in very small circles knew me here and there, but I had never experienced anything like this. I was flabbergasted. I looked across the crowd at Dan, and neither of us knew what was going on.

Here's the only thing that had changed between my last public event and this one: I had spoken at Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic in September 2008.

It was a huge event at the Target Center in Minneapolis, with many thousands in attendance, and C-SPAN was there to give it a nationwide audience.

And incidentally, if you think speaking to a big group is harder than speaking to a small group, you have it exactly backwards. Big groups are full of energy. They're looking for an excuse to applaud and to laugh at your jokes. 

A room with 20 people in it does neither of those things. People feel funny being the first or only one making noise. It's much harder to make jokes land. Applause during a talk is rare.

But in that larger group, people roar if you're even mildly funny.

At any rate, my point is this: one speech had completely transformed the trajectory of my life and career. 

If you're good at public speaking, you cannot fathom the doors that open for you.

And come on: who doesn't want to be excellent at something that terrifies almost everyone on earth?

Who doesn't want to be excellent at something that terrifies almost everyone on earth?

The day after tomorrow the great Jeremy Anderson, who's been doing public speaking as his primary occupation for many years, begins his free series in which he presents a formula for crafting an irresistible talk, as well as how to present it with confidence and authority.

This is a great time to emerge from your comfort zone and become that person who leaves an impression, who takes command of a room, who blows everyone else away, and who, in so doing, attracts opportunity after opportunity for himself.

Save your seat:

https://www.tomwoods.com/speaking

Tom Woods