My one and only experience with stage acting came as part of a school play when I was in 5th Grade. Christmas play. The teachers made me memorize the poem Little Lord Fauntleroy and I was to recite that on stage. I have basically blocked that memory out of my mind. I apparantly got through it well enough, but it was very traumatic for me. I honestly have no memory of it except waiting on stage for the curtain to come up. Maybe my aversion to public speaking stems from this incident- that's a good guess. I'm certainly not afraid of voicing my opinion in public. It only bothers me when it is some sort of formalized setting.
Some people really seem to come into their own once they mount up behind a podium. I've always envied those people.