How everything started

When I joined Toastmasters back in 2015, the best non-profit organization for public speaking, I did so after years of frustration. In a way, I had this feeling of knowing something, but not being able to explain it properly, or not knowing how to explain it well. I never had formal training in communication. And while it was an area I found interesting, I did not usually prioritize it in my learning. From a development perspective, I always placed greater importance on technical knowledge. But once, back in 2008, when I was in Vancouver at the EA headquarters, at that time I was working for Electronic Arts, something happened that, even if it then took me another 3 or 4 years to actually take the step, became the seed of my passion for learning how to communicate better. There I was, in an auditorium that felt huge to me, and I had to explain things related to localization and the game we were working on at that moment, Need for Speed. And I had a terrible time. I was incredibly nervous; I started feeling unwell, with cold sweats. In fact, I went to the EA merchandising store and bought a burgundy-red hoodie with the company logo on the front. I was shivering, and everything was in my head. A major mental block. The presentation did not go well. It was impossible for that miracle to happen, especially given what I know today about public speaking. But I left that place with one clear conviction: never, never again would I feel like that when I had to give a presentation. And never again would I do it that badly. That moment became the seed of more than a decade of paying close attention to books, videos, public speaking, and related topics such as persuasion and communication with impact.

And of course, this does not mean that I never get nervous anymore. I think that will never happen, and from what I have been able to discuss with colleagues and read in books, nerves never fully disappear. But at least they do not prevent you from giving a talk.

As Scott Berkun says in his book Confessions of a Public Speaker, the butterflies before a presentation will always be there, dancing in your stomach. The only thing you can do is make them dance in formation.

I think that is a curious metaphor because it makes very clear that nerves exist, and they will continue to exist, and that is okay. What cannot happen is a mental block like the one I had in Canada. That kind of block can be avoided by studying books, watching videos, and above all, practicing. Practicing a lot.

And that is what I decided almost two decades ago: not being able to express what I wanted to express, and on top of that, letting it affect my health with an anxiety attack, was something I was going to fight hard to change.

And here we are in 2026. Far from being the best speaker in the world :) but even further away from that version of Miguel from almost 20 years ago, who collapsed when he entered the auditorium at EA headquarters. An auditorium I would actually love to visit again at some point in my life, just to see what feelings it gives me now that I am better prepared.

Vancouver 2008, where everything started

All the best on your public speaking journey. Keep studying, keep practicing, and keep giving your Localization ideas the chance to be heard!

@yolocalizo