( CNN ) -- I hate public speaking . Or to be more precise , I do n't like speaking to an audience sitting in front of me that I can see in real life . I do n't mind once I am going , but waiting in the wings to go on is dreadful . For someone who has spent the best part of three decades broadcasting in some shape or form , you might have thought this would be something of a handicap . My career involves speaking to large numbers of people , but here is the point : On television and radio , I ca n't see you . PART TWO : Quest : 'On the edge of the precipice , and about to fall ' If you do n't like what I am saying , well , I am sorry but at least I do n't have to witness the grimace , the yawn or the shake of the head before you switch off . It sounds so obvious but it makes a huge difference . MORE QUEST : Scandal hit Strauss-Kahn 's struggle with public life . So when I saw the poster on the London tube advertising the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts ( RADA ) course on public speaking for business leaders I thought to myself : `` This is for me . '' I did wonder what they would be able to teach me . After all , I have been doing this sort of stuff for quite some time . I was quite skeptical that they had any tricks which this old dog could use . What I was not prepared for was the wholesale rethinking of how I go about my breathing , thinking , and ultimately delivery . It can be described in one phrase : `` Diaphragmatic breathing ! '' Most broadcasters speak and breathe from the throat . We have a microphone to help us . So we never learn the art of the actor or opera singer which is to : Project to the Audience in the Upper Balcony . MORE QUEST : What makes the world 's best airline . In the world of seemingly unlimited broadcasting it puts our throats under terrible strain because we do n't do it properly . Ask any of my colleagues doing hour after hour of breaking news . Eventually our voices become hoarse and give out . RADA was going to put that right . I started off with a whole load of exercises , the purpose of which seemed obscure . Wiggling hips , shrugging the shoulders , stretching the neck , running my tongue around my teeth and then saying the months of the year with a cork in my mouth . Apparently it 's all designed to open up the throat and allow the sound to flow from the vocal chords . Then the breathing . From deep down below , right to the bottom of the belly , to allow the air to carry the sound out of my mouth . It seemed to work . According to those who listened , my voice sounded richer and more rounded , less raspy and desperate . I did n't gasp for air . I was delighted . PART THREE : Greatest fear -- the job comes to the classroom . Then we moved onto presentation style and content . I have been told I sound like gargling with broken glass , although I ca n't hear that . I know I am loud when I speak -- probably 8 on a scale of ten . Tactfully I was told I was too `` full on , '' and that `` less is more . '' I needed to be more aware in my style , less thrusting into the audience 's face . And suddenly I felt truly out of my comfort zone . This was feeding my insecurities . So I rebelled . I had tried it out a few times while presenting Quest Means Business and the results were uncomfortably bad . I was so busy trying to remember what I was supposed to be doing , I would forget what I was supposed to be saying and what came next . Of course , I was trying to run before I could walk . Claire , my RADA guide , gently reminded me that it takes time to get this right and that I should not expect changes so quickly . So , what did I learn from my RADA course ? Fifteen minutes of movement and breathing before I do a presentation works wonders . It both relaxes those parts of the body that are about to be used and prepares them for the onslaught ahead . And when it works it is wonderful . Psychologically I am much more relaxed before I speak because I feel I am ready . I will never really like standing in front of a large audience , hoping they will like me ( a therapist would have a field day with that comment ) but at least I am no longer nervous to the point of going to the bathroom multiple times just to get away . RADA -- My throat thanks you for giving it the rest it deserves . Are you afraid of public speaking ? Or was it something you overcame ? Share your experiences with CNN in the comments below the story .
CNN 's Richard Quest hates public speaking , despite three decades in broadcasting . He has a very low tolerance for it and is often seen doing the opposite of what he says on camera. After so many years broadcasting Quest was skeptical he could learn much . Quest was tactfully told he was too `` full on '' and `` less is more '' -- and he listened .