I get inquiries occasionally from young people – high school students – looking to improve their speaking skills who can’t necessarily afford our fees. I haven’t had anywhere to send them until now, beyond recommending Toastmasters; I’m very pleased to have recently met Graeme Blackman and to be able to support his venture with a little (free) advice and this Q and A. Young people, at least in the Boston area for now, have somewhere to go to work on improving their communications skills. I wish Graeme and Lumos great success! (To be clear: I have no material interest in Lumos.)

Nick Morgan: You’ve quit your job to focus on a gamble in communications called Lumos— what is it?

Graeme Blackman: Lumos is an educational company that offers a series of workshops to help high school students become dynamic verbal communicators and confident public speakers. The idea behind Lumos is an appreciation of a fundamental irony in life: on the one hand, we know that the skill that distinguishes so many of our greatest leaders – from politicians to teachers to athletic coaches to business executives – is their ability to speak in front of a group of people and do so with passion, intelligence, imagination, and confidence.

At the same time, a wide range of research indicates that the fear of public speaking consistently ranks among the top five of the public’s greatest phobias. Some studies say that 75% of the population is afflicted.

So Lumos was created to address the oppressive fear of public speaking and transform it into the liberating joy you feel when you’ve really seen – or been the agent behind – the astonishing power of the spoken word.

More specifically, we have designed Lumos for Boston-area teens so that we can work with them early, before any reluctance to speak turns into a phobia, and our emphasis is on helping participants find their voices and be able to clearly and enthusiastically voice their opinions – and to have fun doing it, knowing that they are in a positive and supportive environment.

Nick Morgan: Why are you so passionate about Lumos?

Graeme Blackman: It seems funny to say this, but I think that my enthusiasm for this area of communications came in good part because of. . . dinnertime, which for my sister and me was a pivotal point of the day – the defined period when we would talk and tell stories, and, most important, where we knew we would be listened to. But when I went to college, I realized that few of my friends had gone through that same kind of daily ritual of great conversation – and that even fewer had been lucky enough to experience what I did during my junior year in high school when a public-speaking course changed my life (more about that later).

What I discovered in college is that so many of my classmates almost invariably wilted or stammered or fell apart whenever they had to speak in any kind of public setting, whereas I was always thrilled when I had the opportunity to offer a presentation.

And I am passionate about public speaking because although the ability to speak to and move the public is already at a low point, I see the “digital revolution” as an even greater threat, as more and more teenagers become ensnared by the lure of only the most superficial forms of communication, of 140 characters, while absolving them of the burden of really listening, of being challenged, of considering complex, alternative possibilities.

Nick Morgan: Tell us more about the amazing teacher behind Lumos?

Graeme Blackman: Allison Kornet was my 11^th grade English teacher at the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, in Cambridge, Mass, and there is no doubt in my mind that she changed my life when I enrolled in her course on public speaking. I think it’s fair to say that before I took that course, I was a fairly indifferent student. But then Ms Kornet came along – coached me, trained me, and gently but firmly guided me. And ultimately, helped me gain the confidence to voice my opinions, take risks, and follow my passions. She introduced me to many of the great speakers in history, helped me to understand the subtle nuances that differentiate a great speaker from a good one, and taught me the skills that I credit with getting me into the college of my choice and, ultimately, getting a job after graduation. What she did for me was magical – and she’s done it for so many others who were fortunate enough to have taken her courses at BB&N.

Since graduation, I’ve spoken to many of the students who took Allison’s public-speaking course at Buckingham Browne & Nichols, and the most typical comment I hear is that Allison’s course changed their life because she gave them the ability to find their voice and the confidence to articulate that voice with conviction in front of any audience.

That’s what great teachers do, and they are rare. And one of the reasons I’m so confident and happy about Lumos is that I can now give more kids a chance to learn and have their lives changed by this amazing teacher.

Nick Morgan: Who stands to benefit from Lumos — who would your best customer be?

Graeme Blackman: I think the best candidates for Lumos will be those students and parents who simply recognize the possibilities in the spoken word – and want to capitalize on them.

Nick Morgan: How can our readers help you?

Graeme Blackman: We are a new company, and our best friend at this point is probably word of mouth. Please share our site in any way you feel comfortable, talk about us with your friends, and encourage any young adult that you believe in to consider enrolling in our course.

Nick Morgan: Great! Give us the specifics.

Graeme Blackman: Our summer program, Lumos Lightning, which is enrolling now, is open to rising junior and seniors in high school as well as students entering their first year of college. The logistics for the summer sessions are below.

Session 1:

• When: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thurs, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., June 15 – July 2
• Where: 80 Gerry’s Landing Road, Cambridge, MA 02138

Session 2:

• When: Mon/Tue/Wed/Thurs, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., July 6 – July 23
• Where: 80 Gerry’s Landing Road, Cambridge, MA 02138

Nick Morgan: Thanks, Graeme, and good luck!