All Eyes on Me: Public Speaking with Parkinson's Disease

Hey there, my friend. Things have been crazy since I last posted mainly due to the cyclical nature of higher education. Whenever a new academic year starts, you are presented with challenges and opportunities that you just can't anticipate. It is similar to living with Parkinson's disease, you may know on a given day you will be symptomatic but you may not know what those symptoms will be.

As you are aware, I like to challenge myself so even with the hustle and bustle of a new year beginning, I also agreed to do two major speaking engagements. One was for our friends at the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the other was to reprise my role as host of "Park Tank!"

Dave Iverson typically hosts/moderates/dominates the Partners in Parkinson's events. He is a master journalist and interviewer but due to a prior commitment, could not host the PIP event in Houston. I was asked to pinch-hit and, with the keen realization that no one can actually replace Dave, I said yes.

Roberts with Dr. Leverenz of the Cleveland Clinic

Perhaps a week after I agreed, my usual wave of panic hit:

• It is a long day---do I still have that endurance?
• How hard can it be to digest the latest advances in neuroscience?
• I'm a communications dean---do I have any real skill set left?
• What if I say the wrong thing and a fight breaks out which halts all funding to PD research? That day in mid-September will be forever known as, "The Day Parkinson's Research Died."

Ok, so I'm a bit dramatic but anxiety is the fuel for success. I dedicated myself to being well prepared and the day went off fairly well. Houston is a really great town for a more holistic approach to PD treatment and the people I met with were truly inspiring. 

My takeaways were I still have the endurance left to host large events and my jokes are better than ever! (well, one out of two isn't bad)

Next up: Park Tank! Park Tank is where students pitch an idea for an online business, a hot show, or exciting film concept to an alumni judging panel and a live voting audience. The "sharks" or judges consisted of executives from Showtime, ESPN, and the NBA along with an expert in investment and another individual who runs a successful business incubator.

Since this was live TV, I had different considerations:

• I need to hit my marks consistently while keeping the show running on time.
• We went live at 4:30 pm---I needed to remember to take my medication at our 3rd commercial break.
• My monologue was killer so I felt pretty good there.
• While the stakes were not as high as the PIP event, I still wanted to do a good job.

The winners of the 2nd Annual Park Tank competition

Other than one major bonehead mistake---I threw it to commercial a segment too early---it went off well and the students and judges did an amazing job. Both hosting gigs reminded me to not quit my day job.

*A note on my suit. If you are looking for an outfit that would stand out even at the NBA Draft, go to this website  My hosting suit was truly a one man war against ISIS.




Public Speaking with Parkinson's disease

The idea of speaking in public is enough to frighten most people but when you live with PD, it is especially challenging.  I think public embarrassment is one of the biggest fears for most people and speaking to a large group can amplify symptoms pretty quickly. I do a TON of public speaking as a dean so here are my tips:

• Find a set-up that works for you: My ideal stage is one that has a podium but also allows enough room for me walk about. I hate handheld microphones and always ask for a lavaliere instead. Keeping my hands free is important to me.

• Prepare! Some patients have cognitive challenges and seeing a sea of faces can rattle them from giving an extemporaneous chat. I do think if you have these challenges, you need to prepare in a more thorough manner. When you're 100% confident and ready, it is harder for anything to shake you.

• Understand you may be symptomatic: fighting your symptoms never works---particularly when you're on stage. If I am displaying tremor, I will often tell the audience that I have PD. Couching it in a joke often works: "I want you to realize that I'm shaking due to the disease, not because I'm nervous. I've seen who is in the crowd---I'm not impressed."

• Shake it off: not every public address will go well and you sometimes just have to move on. I recently taught a class to a bunch of 12 year old girls. They are truly monsters and should not be allowed out in civil society until they can hold a conversation without rolling their eyes. Needless to say, the entire engagement was awful but I learned a valuable lesson: teenagers are the worst!

Public speaking, whether you have Parkinson's disease or not, can be challenging. The key is to not shy from the challenge and instead embrace the opportunity. I truly believe that we all have it in us to be excellent, engaging speakers---it just requires preparation, patience, and practice.