I did stand-up comedy for about ten years part-time, and then went full-time for over two years. During that time I met a lot of very unusual people: some smart, some deluded, some needy, many very talented.
Here’s the secret:
We were a bunch of weirdos, but we’d managed to find something we were good at.
This was a very good thing indeed. It’s pretty likely that some of the people I performed with had mild forms of Asperger’s or something in the autistic spectrum, and would have benefited from some kinesthetic learning.*
The freaks in this world are often rejected, with little effort made to understand them. If you feel that might be you, and that no-one’s going to want to listen to you speak to them in a presentation, then rejoice: those differences are precisely what will make you stand out and truly engage them (see also my post ‘Weird Science’).
People don’t necessarily want to hear a slick speaker, but a speaker who is different and interesting.
Celebrate your weirdness.
* The kinesthetic learning style highlights that some children learn – and most importantly, should be taught – in a very different way to traditional teaching methods (see this inspiring TED talk by Ken Robinson for more).