Here's a lesson from a golf pro on confidence.

Colin Montgomerie has been leading the PGA American Express Championship held at my local Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco. What a thrill it has been to see Tiger Woods, John Daly, Colin and others on this public course - which has been getting raves. But I digress.

Today Colin talked of how his confidence has been building with a victory in Europe last week - and then he picked up where he left off by leading the first two rounds here. "If you're confident of anything in life, you're halfway there to achieving it."

So true, and just as true in communicating effectively, and overcoming the fear of speaking to go to the next level and be confidently good at it. Cicero said, "The skill to do comes from the doing." And another wise sage, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain."

In the hundreds of thousands of people we have trained over the years to 'create their communication experience' I would say close to 100% have gained tremendously in confidence - because they did it. Not only in our training program, but they were motivated to have a forward lean, and to seek opportunities to put themselves out there - not only in speaking and communicating - but in life.

As Colin said in his interview, "Confidence comes from playing." Whether in golf, or in communicating, or in life. Look at Tiger and you can see it all.