Speechwriter Terry Szuplat has the secret to "Say It Well"

What is an average American's greatest fear? It isn't sharks or spiders -- it's public speaking. 

Terry Szuplat, former speechwriter to famous orators including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barrack Obama, claims public speaking is his biggest fear, too. It used to grip him so tightly, and became such a fixation while researching and compiling his experiences for his novel, "Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience," that Szuplat discussed the deep-seated fear with psychologists, seeking answers.

He learned that public speaking is a primal fear, and goes back a millennia in human behavioral history. "We fear being rejected by our tribe. If you go far back enough, saying something strange or wrong could literally get you cast to the wolves," said Szuplat. "That's what social rejection [feels like today]. We will avoid anything that puts us at that great of a risk, including public speaking," he added.

Szuplat spoke at a Sept. 19 National Press Club Headliners book event as part of his tour for "Say It Well" on the evening of September 19 in a full Fourth Estate Room. All who joined were eager to learn from the professional speechwriter who used to help craft and polish the White House's public messages.

Press Club President Emily Wilkins welcomed Szuplat with her own warm words, and expressed interest in what lessons he could impart on all aspiring speakers -- including herself, who admitted to using "filler words" more often than she'd like.

However, Szuplat insists "nobody is a naturally gifted speaker," and that all speakers, including your favorites, like Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, or John F. Kennedy Jr, had to "work hard at it for years," he said -- even President Obama. Both in his book and before the audience, Szuplat recounted Obama's earlier days, before he was a public servant, and how he made critical mistakes in speeches; mistakes that turned into lessons that he took with him.

"A good speech needs preparation," Szuplat said. "It needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. You need to present the problem, explain how you'll solve it, and then bring it all together," he said. Szuplat shared through anecdotes and research that people forget to maintain a flow and ultimately solve a problem. "They forget they need to be storytelling," he added. Some of the best speeches aren't given to all of the five hundred people in front of someone, but are the ones imagined as a one-on-one conversation with the person who needs to hear the message the most.

He revealed some of the best pieces he has written were eulogies, when he was speaking "directly to a widow." His biggest advice: a good speech isn't in the words that one says, but "is measured in how people feel when they walk away," Szuplat said.

So, how did Szuplat land such an incredible role? He was just a twenty-two year-old intern at the White House assigned to Tony Blinken, but wrote his way upward, eventually becoming a deputy speechwriter. He used to listen to Obama speak for hours, absorbing his voice, cadence, and speech patterns. Szuplat says a good speechwriter won't insert their self into a speech; "we write the speech they would write if they had the time," he said. "We tend to have a lot of voices in our heads," he added with a laugh that resonated with the audience.

Today, Szuplat runs his own speech writing firm: Global Voice Communications. For almost thirty years he has been drawing on his experience helping leaders in government, business, and philanthropy to help them inspire audiences near and far. He is also a professor at American University, and is helping younger generations find their voice -- and learn how to hone others', too. 

"I tell them to leave their red and blue hats at the door, and stick to the message that needs to be conveyed -- their beginning, middle, and end," he said.

President Wilkins pressed him on how we can all ultimately conquer our fear of public speaking. 

After a silent pause, which Szuplat insists are natural, he said, "When you're confident in who you are, you become a great speaker."