I would agree with some others here that the public speaking thing was a big plus. I gave my first bible reading at 6 years of age standing on a box so I could reach the microphone in front of 60 or 70 people. I read from the book of Jeremiah.
Moving on later to "talk #5" and later instruction talks, asking the audience the questions, and then a few public talks did take away the fear of speaking in front of any group at work, no matter how large the size.
Rub a Dub