Hi nukefudge, I definitely get where you're coming from. And I don't want to say that what I see or experience is the same as others. The first thing I want to point out is that the piece is about what I learned from music. My point on confidence isn't that it makes you a better speaker, but it makes you more fearless and less likely to let poor speech affect you. If you're confident in yourself and your speech, I believe you're more likely to ignore it and move on. Like move on and talk to the next person you need to without fear. If you're not confident, in my opinion (and speaking in generals), a person is more likely to let it affect them and speak less often or search for a way out, even if the speaking is required. It's a way to not run away from the problem. My idea at the end was that if you work hard, practice and use what you learn, you're going to be way better off than someone who is "more talented." I firmly believe, that even as a person who stutters, that I can be a much more effective public speaker/actor/anything really than someone who doesn't stutter. I just have to work at it. Right now, I'm awful at them, but if I trained and worked my tail off, I could do it. The idea is not to be scared away from your dreams and ambitions just because of a stutter. You just need the confidence and work ethic.