I’ve worked booths at E3 and Comic Con before in my career, but something that made this year’s event drastically different for me happened when someone from Disney public relations approached me with a camera crew in tow and asked me to do an interview for a press outlet.

“Sure, why not?”

I probably did 3 or 4 of these a day at E3, as did my fellow Junction Pointers that attended the show. Now doing a presentation for any group of strangers is one thing, but there’s something about having a microphone and camera in your face that has the potential to crank your nerves up to eleven.

But to be honest, I enjoyed the experience, and welcomed any interview I could get. That’s probably unique for a programmer-type-of-guy.

Now, I wish I could claim to be a gifted speaker with nerves of steel but anyone who knew me growing up would remember that kid with the cracked voice and bright red face who fell apart in front of a crowd. No, sadly, public speaking is something I have to work at every week.

But I can do it now - which is an amazing feat for me, and probably most other people.

Anyway, one of the interviews I did for Disney Epic Mickey at E3 is available on YouTube. It was with Gavin Greene and Elder-Geek.com and as far as I know, this is my very first video appearance on the intertubes …

There’s some stuff on there that makes me wince a bit. Most notably, I should have said the title of the game, Disney Epic Mickey, instead of “this game” in my introduction. I also struggled to find the right word a couple of times as I spoke.

But I can watch it and not want to die - and that’s a BFD for me.

For folks looking to grow in this way I give Toastmasters International my highest recommendation. I’ve been a member for several years now and believe it’s the single most important thing I’ve done for my confidence and career. If you think your inability to comfortably speak in front of a crowd is holding you back then why not find a club near you?

(Thanks to Gavin Greene and Elder-Geek.com for the interview.)