“Overcome Your Fears and Speak Effectively,” was an article published in The Toronto Sun on June 23, 2010. The article quipped about how Jerry Seinfeld joked, “Most people would prefer to be in the coffin than giving the eulogy.”

This is so true! I have had the privilege of teaching, coaching, and judging public speaking in the United States for the past 17 years. I have witnessed students vomit, start crying, pass out, and run out of the class. One time, I thought a student was having a heart attack so I called 911 (Emergency number for the US), and within 5 minutes the Los Angeles City Fire Department (Engine, and Ambulance) were parked with sirens blaring in front of my building at Los Angeles Valley College while the emergency technicians stormed into my room…. After caring for the student and diagnosing him not to be having a heart attack, the paramedic turned to me, and very professorially said, “Did you know that public speaking is the greatest fear in life? Your student is having an anxiety attack because of the speech he has to do for this class” …I could go on all day about students being scared! However, I could also go on all day about students overcoming their fears, and successfully standing up and speaking.

When a student takes the time to get proactive with managing their nerves more often than not, he or she is successful. The very first step in controlling fear – as I have told every class, and every client I have ever taught for the past 17 years — is preparation!

If you are prepared, you are still going to be nervous, but your nervousness is going to be controlled because you will be able to lean on the fact that you are prepared.   Preparation equals confidence!  The above mentioned Sun article reads, “Overcoming fear of public speaking requires practice.” I could not agree more.

Often public speaking is referred to as “platform speaking,” this is because one of the many different definitions for the word platform (if you have a good dictionary), is preparation! The word platform, when regarding public speaking means “to prepare on all levels.”   The foundation of any successful public speakers platform is practice!

If you are prepared on all levels, and you have made your practice a priority – you will still be nervous, but you will be in control.   Your nervousness will be countered with the confidence that can only be created by being prepared.

In 1996-1997 while attending graduate school, and coaching with the California State University Los Angeles Forensics team I worked with two other coaches, Josh Miller (who I still work with today), and Dustin Lee Abraham. Before I go any further it is important to clarify that the forensics I am referring to is not dead bodies, but rather speech and debate – competitive public speaking!   The three of us coached the CSLA speech team together, and prior to that each of us had competed for four years. We were what is known in the speech community as forensicators. Dustin all along however, had made it VERY known that he was in the Los Angeles area, originally from Las Vegas, because of Hollywood!   He wanted to be an actor.

One day he stormed into our shared office waving a piece of paper in his hand declaring that someone at a studio saw him read something – and gave him a hefty retainer fee while they decided what to do with his talent. I saw the check! It was surreal.

Dustin also had another friend from forensics, Anthony Zuiker, whom he always talked about!   Whenever Dustin really liked something, he would say, “Tony would say ‘that is on-edge!'” The two had a long history together inside and out of forensics. Dustin gave Anthony credit for writing the things that made him successful at the public speaking competitions…in high school and college forensics, public speaking competitions. In 1994, Dustin won the American Forensics Association title for Dramatic Interpretation of Literature. Anthony had written the drama for him.

Today Anthony Zuiker is legendary for his creation of the CSI franchise. And Dustin writes and produces for the show. I have often wondered how it all played out – well now I know!

I recently stumbled across a beautiful article entitled, “CSI’s Zuiker: I Owe My Career to a Bookie Runner.” The article was composed and submitted by Anthony Zuiker to TheWrapOnTv.com, and published April 13, 2010. Anthony Zuiker explains:

There’s a buddy of mine who now works with me on “CSI” — Dustin Lee Abraham. We were both competing in high school forensics — speech, not forensics medicine — and I used to write his monologues. And he won a lot of tournaments. He beat me to Hollywood and began to take meetings and perform in front of people with these monologues I’d written for him in college. Meanwhile, I was in a terrible job as a tram host at the Mirage. I rode the tram back and forth from the Mirage to Treasure Island for $8 an hour on the graveyard shift. I didn’t like my boss; and my boss didn’t like me. Then one day an agent from William Morris — her name was Jenny Delaney — called me up at work and said, I’m Dustin’s agent; I’ve heard some of the monologues you’ve written — have you ever had any thoughts about writing a screenplay?   I said no, but she said, if you write me something great, I’ll consider representing you. So I walked to a bookstore and bought the book “Screenplay” by Syd Filed, or “The Art of Screenwriting, ” one of the two, and wrote a movie called “The Runner.” It was based on the job Dustin had back in the early 90s as a runner. A runner was a guy who went from sports book to sports book, jotted down the betting lines, and phoned them into an underground bookie establishment.

Anthony writes Dustin “The Runner” to be performed at college forensics (public speaking) competitions. The piece of literature helps Dustin to win a national title. Several years later, Dustin helps get the story — his story — written by Anthony read in Hollywood! And now we have CSI!

What is extra special here – is that both of these guys seem to have a genuine and HUMBLE love and appreciation for each other. And their foundational bond was forensics, public speaking competition.

Very cool!

The New Straits Times (Malaysia) published and article validating how important public speaking skills are for potential employers, by emphasizing how potential candidates for jobs lack the desired attributes that by nature contribute to the over all package that is a desirable employee.

According to July 23, 2010, article:

The products of our school system are generally ill-prepared either for higher education, work or life in general. Most of our undergraduates lack achievement orientation, have poor analytical writing skills, fear public speaking, and have been “conditioned” by our schooling system to be spoon-fed.

The above reads like the mission statement for public education in the United States. But it appears that sub-standard education is today is also a global plague. Sad. Anyway, I digress. Let’s continue — the article furthered:

Employers complain that graduates lack self-confidence, communication skills, strong work ethics, interpersonal skills and that they are poor team players.

It is my contention, that by addressing, just the fear of public speaking, i.e. making public speaking a top priority within academics — the earlier the better — most of the above issues will be directly addressed.

The regular practice of public speaking by definition because of all that it involves – promotes and continually matures: achievement orientation, analytical writing shills, overcoming the fear of public speaking,self-confidence, communication skills, strong work ethics, and interpersonal skills.

Public speaking demands achievement orientation. I always tell my students “the absolutely most important thing a public speaker does to ensure success, as well as for overcoming the fear of public speaking is PREPARE!!!!!! Preparation is everything: audience analysis, brainstorming, researching, goal setting, outlining, drafting, redrafting, practicing, etc., etc. — and all of the above demands time management.” I also tell my students that “the BIGGEST indicator of preparation…is time management.” Public speaking IS achievement orientation. If a presentation is to be successful — the individual must be achievement oriented. Public speaking is the practice of achievement orientation.

Public speaking demands analytical writing skills. Unless you are a politician (insert sarcastic emphasis) most people must author their own words for public speaking. Composing a speech demands analytical writing skills. I always tell my students that, “clarity is the foundation of communicative success.” And that, “The key to clarity — is structure!” Public speaking demands the employment of and commitment to analytical writing. Public speaking helps individual learn to structure, and present their thoughts. And…it all begins on paper — with writing!

The regular practice of public speaking, is the best way for overcoming the fear of public speaking. Students often ask me, “How do I become a better public speaker?” The answer I give them, is the same answer I give for the most popular question, “How do I overcome the fear of public speaking?” The answer to both questions is: “By speaking.” The more you do something, the better you get at it, and the more confident you get. I also tell students to, “acknowledge the fact that you are doing what statistics say most people would rather be dead than do — that makes you stronger than most people. For self confidence, each time you speak, you should acknowledge to your self how special what you are doing truly is!” Because public speaking is the number one fear in life, that practice of public speaking is truly empowering. Which leads us into our next concern, lacking confidence.

Because public speaking is the number one fear in life, when public speaking is practiced regularly it proves to be the absolute best confidence builder in the world. I need say nothing more here!

Public speaking skills…are communication skills. When we learn to properly structure, and present our thoughts publicly — it matures our communicative abilities on ALL LEVELS!

Public speaking skills demand – and for the truly committed – help to develop strong work ethics. When recruiting for my public speaking team at Los Angeles Valley College I always MUST tell my students, so no ones time is wasted, “There is no way to candy-coat this – if you join the LAVC Speech Team, and desire ANY degree of success you will work harder than you have ever worked on anything else before.” It is because of the achievement orientation, writing, and practice that public speaking demands for successful presentations that public speaking demands a person either have, or develop a strong work ethic. Often, it is the discovered love and passion for public speaking that inspires, in otherwise uninspired individuals, that the person develop a strong work ethic. Think about it – can you think of anything that requires more work, than preparing yourself to stand alone in front of an audience and communicate – not just effectively – but with excellence? I cannot. Pubic speaking demands and promotes strong work ethics.

Public speaking also helps to develop and mature interpersonal skills. When you have the confidence and ability to stand in front of a group of people and communicate your thoughts, doing so on an interpersonal level becomes all the more easier. Again, public speaking public speaking matures our communicative abilities on ALL levels.

The regular practice of public speaking promotes and continually matures: achievement orientation, analytical writing shills, overcoming the fear of public speaking,self-confidence, communication skills, strong work ethics, and interpersonal skills.

The bottom line here is – our schools, and those in attendance who desire optimal success, should consider and address the concerns of the world’s employers…and make public speaking skills a priority!