THUNDER BAY -- Connor Byerley thought he was a terrible public speaker.
The 16-year-old grade 11 student at Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate and Vocational Institute is working toward a Business Specialist High Skills Major and thought he'd take advantage of a youth leadership public speaking workshop that wrapped up Friday afternoon.
It turns out, he's pretty good at it.
"I figured out that I'm actually pretty comfortable," he said.
He's hoping to use is new skills like pace, pitch, eye contact and breathing techniques with him to the business world one day.
"That's a big part of life. Everyone has to publicly speak."
Lakehead University Storytellers president Anna Chief, running the Toastmasters International program for the school's business program and Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program, said it's remarkable to see the progress students like Byerley made.
"It's a really neat process. We have a lot of students who come in on the first day and do not speak at all. We don't force the students to speak but by the end of the sessions we have students who are actually getting up and speaking so it's really great to see that even if it is just for a few moments for them to find the courage to speak and give it a try," she said.
From job interviews to post-secondary, Chief hopes the students remember what they were taught over the six sessions.
