Well said Saydrah. I too love communicating, very much. I mentioned this in a previous comment, but when I was in high school I wasn't a very good student. I had a teacher take me aside and tell me that I was good at public speaking. This gave me a confidence I had never had. Around the same time I was failing a science class and during a parent teacher conference, I heard the teacher tell my parents not to worry about me because I could convince anyone to do just about anything and as such I'd be successful. -This too stuck with me. I've managed to take my ability to effectively communicate and carve out a pretty nice career. It's something that like you, I really love. I love that going in to a meeting, the people across the table from me have a firmly held position that I am trying to change. I love taking their assumptions and challenging them with thoughtful questions, steering the conversation in a direction of my choosing but making it seem as though it is theirs. I too love that at least some of my words "sink in".

When performing music, I feel the "collective experience" that you are mentioning. In the podcast, Olive and Clive Watson mention how there can be a "string between performer and observer" and their is this nourishment from the audience. Clive refers to it as the "heat lamp". -Some of my favorite parts.

Glad you choose public speaking and not porn ---though that might make an interesting podcast topic too ;-)