Fear of Speaking?

I'm going to a conference in a few weeks together with some of my postdocs and students.  Most of us have been asked by conference organizers to present our works in poster form.  But one "unlucky" soul was asked to do an oral presentation.  She is terrified and considering not going to the conference, even though it is in beautiful Rome!   Who would give up a trip to Rome?  I tell you who would!  Someone for whom 10 minutes of public speaking feel as pleasant as two hours of tooth drilling at the dentist's office.  
Well, I can certainly identify with my student's feelings, as I used to be terrified of public speaking too.  Once, just before I was to be introduced for one of the most important presentations that I have ever given, my friend had to come find me hiding in the ladies room.  Her pep talk for me was:  "you know more about this than anyone else in the room".  This clicked with me.  I straightened myself up, splashed water on my face and gave a killer presentation. Thanks, Karen!

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