A few years ago, I used to be terrified about speaking in public and in particular talking on the telephone. This was a bit of an occupational hazard as a receptionist in a busy office. But more often than not, I would allow calls to go to voicemail and spend my days picking up messages, effectively doubling my workload. In this day and age, much can be achieved by text and email, so the phone conversations are dwindling, but there are many people who also feel paralysed by f