It's unfortunately true that many people feel that speaking in public is like walking barefoot on hot coals. You can actually see their discomfort. They can't stand still. They constantly shift their balance from one foot to the other and back again, like marching in place.

For others, standing in front of an audience is like facing a firing squad. They plant themselves on a spot and freeze, afraid to move an inch in any direction or they might get shot. Or they hide behind the lectern or podium, afraid to move out from behind its protective shield to get close to their listeners.

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What's the greatest speech you've ever heard in your lifetime? Think about it for a minute. For some people a great speech and a great speaker spring to mind without any hesitation just because they were so memorable.

Take, for example, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. We know it as his "I Have A Dream" speech. We revisit that moment every year on Dr. King's birthday and we can hear it any time on YouTube. It's accessible electronically in a way that most other historic speeches, say, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, are not. So what made that speech great? Why does it touch us in a way that few other speeches in our history have? What did Dr. King say that was so special?

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