David Nihill has walked—and talked—in your shoes. The Irish-born author went from being deathly afraid of standing in front of an audience to hosting a business conference, regularly performing stand-up routines, and winning storytelling competitions in front of packed houses. He did it by learning from some of the world’s best public speakers: stand-up comics. In what doesn't sound like the best plan ever, David decided to overcome his fears by pretending to be an accomplished comedian called "Irish Dave" for one full year, crashing as many comedy clubs, festivals, and shows as possible. One part of the plan was at least logical: he was already Irish and already called Dave.