SMOOTH TALKER GLENDALE SPEAKER EARNS TOP GLOBAL PRIZE FOR GIFT OF GAB.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

GLENDALE - Lance Miller, the smoothest speaker on the globe, does not harrumph, clear his throat or clog his oratory with ums, ahhs, or the dreaded ``like.''

There are plenty of people who can hold a crowd rapt with their silver- tongued oratory, but very few can boast the title of World Champion of Public Speaking. Miller, so named by Toastmasters International, has no rival, no peer in the speech game. After seven months of grueling competition and years of prep, the 47-year-old Glendale resident finds himself as an emcee without match.

``Obviously, he's the best speaker in the world,'' said Kathy Oliver, a Burbank producer and distinguished toastmaster. ``And he's had some formidable competition along the way.''

With a background in sales and marketing, Miller's no novice behind the microphone, pouring a smooth baritone over issues as varied as the history of beer, peanut butter and alternative tax strategy. He's been a member of the nonprofit speech association for 13 years, winning a district competition with a variation of his talk on the value of sincere compliments, ``The Ultimate Question,'' in 2002.

He took regionals with his spiel in 2003, only to be disqualified by exceeding the 7-minute, 30-second limit by a mere second. To get to his slot as the toast of the Toastmasters, Miller worked his way through competitions since February, shortening, honing and revising along the way.

Two weeks before the August competition, he videotaped himself speaking, then compared it with the 2001 Toastmaster finals.

``I died, watching myself there on stage,'' Miller said. ``I wasn't even close to them. I almost called the alternate to see if they wanted to go in my place; then I almost deleted my speech and started again from scratch.''

The speech got shorter, the pace slower. Four clubs heard him practice, and then after a rewrite, he delivered it 12 times in two hours on a stage. Miller managed to trim his talk to 7:10, then headed for the finals in Toronto.

Pitted against nine other toastmasters from around the world, he sized up the field and eyed the audience. At the so-called Olympics of Oratory, it doesn't pay to misjudge one's environment, and as his eloquent counterparts grabbed their mics, Miller knew he'd need an extra edge. He rewrote his closing on the spot.

``I was 26 years old,'' he told the crowd of 1,800. ``I was living in a small town in Indiana. I had a job I didn't like, I hadn't had a date in three years and I had a couple of roommates named Mom and Dad. ...''

From there, Miller worked through his words, recounting a fateful encounter where he attempted to validate a parking ticket and received some personal validation instead. The ``cha-chink'' sound of the validation machine became a rallying cry of empowerment, punctuating his rhythm, driving home his message.

All personal problems can be solved, he declared, building up to that improvised crescendo.

``Do you validate is the ultimate question, but that's not what's important,'' he said, tone elevated and gripping. ``What's important is do you cha-chink?''

And soon the audience was repeating it back to him, nearly 2,000 people roaring back the onomatopoeia of the ink stamp smacking the ticket.

``Cha-chink! Cha-chink! Cha-chink!'' they roared.

And soon, Miller had his own validation, beating out a Canadian and a Scot to take home the top title.

``He's gotten it down and delivers his message,'' said Roberta Perry, the Toastmasters' past District One governor. ``You cannot help but walk away and say, wow, that was great.''

Miller, who works as president of the The Way to Happiness Foundation, a Glendale-based group affiliated with the Church of Scientology, hopes to parlay his win into the professional public-speaking circuit. He's planning a five-hour series of compact discs or DVDs to sell to instruct others in his artful way of communication.

``It's gratifying, but it's humbling,'' he said. ``With it comes a responsibility to give back. I've got my 15 minutes of fame, so now, what do I do with it?''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com

Get over it: public speaking tips

Lance Miller's tips for public speaking:

--Pick one person in the audience and address him or her personally for a few seconds, then move onto someone else. A speech only succeeds if you're communicating directly with individuals.

--Don't practice the lines in your head - say them out loud, preferably in front of someone.

--Videotape yourself beforehand to see your body language and expressions from different angles.

--Keep at it, speaking as frequently as possible in front of different audiences. The more time that elapses between addresses, the more uncomfortable you'll feel when you step up before a crowd.

--Find your voice. If the building was on fire and you needed to get people out, you'd probably speak with a lot of passion. Discover topics that will inspire that same urgency in your oratory.

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) MILLER

(2) Glendale's Lance Miller proudly displays his trophy for capturing the World Championship of Public Speaking from Toastmaster International.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(3 -- 6) no caption (Lance Miller)

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Get over it: public speaking tips