In the twelfth Chapman Survey of American Fears for 2026 public speaking was feared by just 28.9% of adults and ranked #51 out of 79 fears

On October 20, 2026 there is a press release by by Robert Hitchcock at Chapman News titled AI Enters Americans’ Top 10 Fears in Chapman’s 2026 Survey. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Harming the Political Process was feared by 51.9% and ranked at #3, while Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hurting the economy was feared by 49.7% and ranked at #7. My bar chart with the 25 Most Common Fears is shown above. It doesn’t include public speaking.  

 

The twelfth survey in this series was conducted by Chapman’s Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization, surveyed a random national sample with 1,221 adults online from April 7 to April 21, 2026, using its probability-based AmeriSpeak panel. They asked about 79 different fears. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. Their 23-page pdf Project Methods and Transparency Report is here. But it is much less transparent than the Methodology Reports from previous years, and does not list all of the detailed percentages from the questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a ten-page pdf article describing the key findings from the survey. It includes a list of the Top 10 Fears Of 2026. As usual, the top fear was Corrupt Government Officials – 61.1%. And a three-page pdf article has The Complete List of Fears 2026 ranked by the percentages afraid or very afraid. This article has typographical errors #34 and #35 are listed twice, and #77 is omitted. My bar charts for the Next 25 Fears and the Last 29 Fears are shown above. Note that Public Speaking was feared by just 28.9% and only ranked at #51.  

 

Another three-page pdf article has The Complete List of Fears 2026 (Alphabetical Order). And yet another six-page pdf article is titled The Chapman University Survey of American Fears Wave 11 (2025) and Wave 12 (2026) Compared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the 2026 survey there were eight questions about fears involving Artificial Intelligence, one of which was Artificial Intelligence (AI) Replacing People in the Workplace (feared by 42% and ranked at #23). That question also was asked in 2024 where it was feared by 46.7%, and in 2025 where it was feared by 49.1%. And, way back in the 2015 survey they asked about People Trusting Artificial Intelligence to Do Work – 24.9% and Artificial Intelligence – 21.4%. All those fears are shown above in a bar chart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three different questions have been asked about Fear of Replacing People in the Chapman surveys. As shown above in a bar chart, in 2015 it was by Robots, on 2016 to 2023 it was by Computers, and in 2024 through 2026 it was by Artificial Intelligence (AI).   

 

 

A very useful article describing ten simple rules for preparing and delivering effective funding pitches in competitive grant applications

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a very useful article by Andy Göbel and Tilman D. Rachner at PLoS Computational Biology on October 7, 2026 which is titled Ten simple rules for preparing and delivering effective funding pitches in competitive grant applications.

 

Those rules are to:

 

 1]  Analyze the review panel

 2]  Define your key messages

 3]  Describe the scientific problem & present the solution

 4]  Collect convincing arguments

 5]  Make use of a compelling structure

 6]  Craft your visual presentation

 7]  Get ready for a productive discussion

 8]  Practice, rehearse, and get feedback

 9]  Prepare yourself

10] Deliver an effective pitch

 

That article contains the following seven figures:

 

Figure 1. Features and goals of scientific funding pitches.

Figure 2. Defining the scientific problem.

Figure 3. The FINER Criteria [Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant]

Figure 4. The Speech Structure Building.

Figure 5. Options on how to open and close your funding pitch.

Figure 6. How to craft effective presentation slides.

Figure 7. Ten simple rules for effective funding pitches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, when you click on a figure to “Open in a new tab,” you get directed through a browser check like “Select all squares with bicycles.” So, I have shown Figure 7 above. It succinctly summarizes the entire article. Click on it to see a larger version.

 

On September 7, 2025 I blogged about Ten simple rules for improving communication among scientists.

    

An image of Reggie Jackson pitching came from Wikimedia Commons.

 

 

On October 29, 2026 there were 83,780 page views at this blog.

 

 

 

 

 

The chart shown above has daily page views at this blog for the past three months. On October 29, 2026 there was a new all-time record of 83,780 page views.

 

Two excellent articles about speechwriting by Colin Raunig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are two excellent articles about writing speeches for other people by Colin Raunig at his Substack. Both are organized into ten chapters. One on October 4, 2026 is just titled The Speechwriter, and the other on October 17, 2026 is titled The Craft of Speechwriting. Chapter titles and links are as follows:

 

The Speechwriter

Chapter 1: Humility

Chapter 2: Curiosity/Asking Good Questions  

Chapter 3: Listening

Chapter 4: Being a Good Teammate

Chapter 5: Adaptability

Chapter 6: Working with Senior Leaders

Chapter 7: Learning Quickly

Chapter 8: Empathy

Chapter 9: Judgement

Chapter 10: Service

 

The Craft of Speechwriting

Chapter 1: Purpose Before Prose

Chapter 2: Know the Audience

Chapter 3: Getting Smart Fast

Chapter 4: What Makes a Good Question

Chapter 5: Finding the Argument

Chapter 6: Building the Structure

Chapter 7: The First and Last Words

Chapter 8: Writing for the Ear

Chapter 9: Writing in Someone Else’s Voice

Chapter 10: The Speech Isn’t Finished When You Hit Send

 

Colin has a web site and a LinkedIn page. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a BS in Engineering. Then he earned his wings and served on an E-6B Mercury (a nuclear command-and-control aircraft) as a Naval Fight Officer. Also, he learned Japanese and spent two years at the Japanese Naval Academy as a liaison and teacher.  And he has an MFA in Literature-Creative Writing earned at Colorado State University.

 

The woman typing was cropped from this image at the Library of Congress.

 

 

31 brief articles in Toastmaster magazine from the last two decades about creating or answering Table Topics questions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table Topics is the impromptu speaking section in a Toastmasters club meeting where members provide one-to-two minutes answers to questions. In the January 2022 issue of Toastmaster magazine there is a brief article by Greg Lewis on pages 26 and 27 about both creating and answering Table Topics questions which is titled The Two Sides of Table Topics.

 

There are another fourteen brief articles about creating questions. Ten of them take up just a single page, and the other four are two pages long. In reverse chronological order they are as follows:  

 

One by Laura Mishkind in May 2026 on page 6 is titled Family, Friends, and Fast Thinking.

 

A second in April 2026 on page 6 is titled Get to Know Your Members Through Table Topics.

 

A third by Mackenzie Eldred in December 2025 on pages 10 and 11 is titled Celebrate With Table Topics.

 

A fourth by Bill Brown in January 2025 on page 9 is titled Table Topics Dilemmas – Solved.

 

A fifth by the Toastmaster magazine staff in October 2024 on pages 16 and 17 is titled Table Topics From History.

 

A sixth in March 2021 on page 18 is titled Online Table topics Ideas.

 

A seventh by Silvana Clark in October 2020 on pages 24 and 25 is titled Creative Tips for the Topicsmaster.

 

An eighth by Beverly Wise, also in October 2020, on page 25 is titled A Few More Table Topics Ideas,

 

A ninth by Cheryl Andrichuk in September 2019 on page 28 is titled Tackling the Topicsmaster Role.

 

A tenth by Allan Kaufman and Allan Misch in December 2018 on pages 14 and 15 is titled Shake Up Table Topics Ideas With Creative Ideas.

 

An eleventh by Steve Chen, also in December 2018 on page 15 is titled 9 Fun Table Topics Ideas.

 

A twelfth by Bill Brown in January 2018 on page 21 is titled Being the Best Table Topicsmaster.

 

A thirteenth by Allan Kaufman and Allan Misch in March 2017 on page 24 is titled 8 Tips for Table Topics.

 

And a fourteenth by Craig Harrison June 2014 on page 24 is titled When You’re the Topicmaster.

 

On May 15, 2024 I blogged about My workshop presentation at the 2024 District 15 Toastmasters Conference on May 18, 2024 about Creating or Finding Great Table Topics Questions.

 

And there are another sixteen brief magazine articles about answering questions. Six of them take up just a single page, and another six are two pages long. In reverse chronological order they are as follows:  

 

One by Bill Brown in September 2025 on page 9 is titled Pushing Through Table Topics and Pathways.

 

A second by Peggy Beach in October 2020 on pages 22 to 24 is titled Spontaneous Speaking.

 

A third in February 2019 on page 7 is titled Suiting Up for Table Topics.

 

A fourth by Bill Brown in October 2017 on page 21 is titled Let’s Talk Table Topics.

 

A fifth by Christopher Cox in July 2017 on page 21 is titled 10 Tips for Terrific Table Topics.

 

A sixth by Maureen Zappala in February 2016 on pages 22 to 25 is titled A Table Topics Workout.

 

A seventh by Thomas Piccin in June 2014 on pages 20 and 21 is titled Speaking Off the Cuff.

 

An eighth by Craig Harrison also in June 2014 on pages 22 to 25 is titled Tactics for Tackling Table Topics.

 

A ninth by Russell Isaacson in April 2012 on pages 14 and 15 is titled Take Control of Table Topics.

 

A tenth by Craig Harrison in February 2010 on pages 22 to 25 and 29 is titled Turning the Tables on Table Topics.

 

An eleventh by Bob Lea in April 2008 on page 20 and 21 is titled Mastering Table Topics.

 

A twelfth by Jack M. Kantola in December 2006 on pages 8 to 10 is titled Tune Up Your Table Topics.

 

A thirteenth by Bill Monsour, also in December 2006, on page 11 is titled Table Topics: A Question of Mind Over Matter.

 

A fourteenth by Linda M. Isaacs, again in December 2006, on pages 12 and 13, is titled Graduating from Table Topics 101.

 

A fifteenth by Craig Harrison on August 2006 on page 22 is titled Two-Minute Tales!

 

A sixteenth by Rajiv Ramaratnam in April 2006 on pages 22 and 23 is titled Conquer Table Topics Phobia.

 

The wooden pedestal table came from OpenClipArt.

 

 

There are six Laws of Holes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a proverb about quitting, called the Law of Holes, that has its own Wikipedia page. During the 1980s in the United Kingdom it was used by the politician Denis Healey. The law is that (as shown above):

 

“If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”

 

That really was just the First Law of Holes. (But why is then implied rather than explicitly stated?) I looked around further and found that there are another five Laws of Holes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As shown above, the Second Law of Holes is to:

 

 “Remember that you are still in a hole”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, the Third Law of Holes is to:

 

“Get help to bring a ladder so you can climb out.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fourth Law of Holes is that:

 

“If you can’t get help, cut steps and climb out yourself.”  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The preventive Fifth Law of Holes is to:

 

 "Fill in the hole, so no one else can fall into it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, the Sixth Law of Holes is: 

 

“If you can’t fill the hole, put warning signs around it.

 

There is a 2026 book by Lindsay Krouse titled The Case for Quitting: The surprising benefits of opting out. Her Chapter 9 is titled The Law of Holes. On page 148 she says that:

 

“Escalation of commitment can quickly lead us to collide head-on with what an economist once described to me as ‘the law of holes,’ which sounds obvious by often ignored: ‘If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.’ “

 

And on page 161 she continues:

 

“Quitting was the first step. Then she discovered the second Law of Holes (‘Remember, you are still in a hole.’).”

 

There is an article by Paul Synnott at LinkedIn Pulse on November 24, 2022 titled Don’t Always Rely on the Ladder! He says that:

 

“For me, there are only three ways out of this situation.

The first is to recognise that you are in over your head, put down the shovel and holler in the hope that someone might hear you and come to your rescue.

The second is to accept the hand of the person who has realised that you might be in a spot of bother, and has, of their own volition, reached down to pull you out.

And in the absence of the first two, the third is to use the ladder; you know, the one that we all pack away as a last resort, in readiness for a quick escape for when we do end up digging that hole just a little too deep.”

 

Another article by Sun Shine (at Medium) on June 23, 2017 is titled Investing and the five laws of holes. He says:

 

“The First Law of Holes (this is the only stated law of holes) – if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging…

 

The Second Law of Holes – If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging, come out of it, and then fill it in to keep it from becoming a hazard…

 

The Third Law of Holes – If you don’t know that you are in a hole, ask someone who isn’t covered with mud and standing in the shade…

 

The Fourth Law of Holes – If someone else, and especially when that someone appears smart and has been successful in the recent past, seems to be digging a hole, don’t try to jump in to give him company…

 

The Fifth Law of Holes – Trust your logic – ‘I must get out of the hole before I fall deeper’ – more than your ego – ‘How could I have been so blind to have gotten into this hole?’ ”

 

How old is the sentiment behind the First Law of Holes? There is an article by Garson O’Toole at the Linguist list on October 19, 2004 titled Proverb: When you’re in a hole, stop digging – On the dangers of digging (Joel Chandler Harris 1889). Joel Chandler Harris told the Uncle Remus stories about the trickster Br’er Rabbit.

 

My cartoons used modified images from OpenClipArt of a standing man, digging, and a ladder.

 

 

An inchoate Sheldon comic strip

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a Sheldon comic strip by Dave Kellett on October 23, 2026 with the following dialogue:

 

Arthur: ??? You ever hear of the word ‘inchoate’?

Sheldon: Inchoate? What’s an inchoate?

 

Arthur: Exactly! There’s no way ‘inchoate’ is a real word.

   It sounds like a rash from pond water.

 

Arthur: Or a line of kelp-based organic lozenges.

   Or a distinctly French type of existential dread.

   Or an artisanal beverage made from dried chia seeds.

 

Arthur: Anyway, I refuse to look up the definition.

   Who has the time, with all the taxes we need to inchoate.

Sheldon: I inchoated an ENTIRE bean-and-cheese burrito once.

 

What does inchoate really mean? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary says:

 

Inchoate (adjective):

“being only partly in existence or operation: incipient

  especially: imperfectly formed or formulated: formless, incoherent.”

 

And, similarly, the Oxford English Dictionary says:

 

Inchoate (adjective):

“Just begun, incipient; in an initial or early stage; hence elementary, imperfect, undeveloped, immature.”