Groban opens the speech by admitting he's terrified of public speaking — and that's a good thing. He traces this theme through his whole life: being terrified to sing as a kid, being pushed to the front of the choir by teacher Richard Barron at age 13, turning down the Grammy rehearsal out of fear, and feeling terrified on opening night of his Broadway debut. Each time, the fear preceded a breakthrough. He distinguishes between destructive fear and productive fear: when the fear comes from caring deeply about something, from wanting to follow through with a passion, it's a signal that you're on the right track. The absence of fear, he argues, means you're playing it too safe.