Having given the very rare presentation in the last eight years, I never really thought about getting up in front of a room of people and trying to hold their attention, whilst actually enjoying the experience. Usually it is something I would like to have over and done with and forgotten as quickly as possible.
Ever since attending Neil's seminar, I've been reciting some of the lessons that I learned: Lessons that would apply in ANY public facing session. It doesn't necessarily need to be a room full of people.
Mostly I took away the need to listen and have an open mind. Otherwise one could miss all the inputs that your audience is giving you consciously or unconsciously).
I appreciated the approach that Neil took in conducting exercises utilising games that enable us to see how our own perspective closes our mind to all other possibilities that there may be right in front of us. I think if I could have spent any more time with Neil, I would get that much closer to being able to confidently speak/lead/present almost anywhere, anytime and with potentially any audience.
It was a great experience in learning to shake off habits, pre-conceptions and my own single-mindedness to help enable better participation and interaction with other people.
The day we spent was about learning then utilising the tools and exercises we were taught to achieve our goal. Being shy or self-conscious never came into it. Don't just recite a message, deliver it.