What do you do when the fourth person to walk on the Moon calls you and says, hate your video, call me and I’ll tell you why.”
Well, first you stare at the phone and then listen to the message a few more times.
Then, you work up the nerve to call back and hear what he has to say.
Captain Alan Bean (US Navy, Ret.) took his first flight into space aboard Apollo 12 and became the fourth human to walk on the surface of the Moon. Long retired from NASA and the space race.
Come to find out, Bean actually liked the video and was impressed with my comfort level on a stage. What he did want to see me change was so simple, yet so brilliant. Simply put…..
Always speak as if you are speaking to one person, your best friend.
Never speak in plurals or locations – such as ‘all of you’ and ‘up here’.
Use the word ‘you’ much more than you use the word ‘I’.
Create a personal bond with each and every person in your audience.
As Alan Bean put it, “As soon as I figured out how to make my Moon stories their Moon stories, the speech clicked and resonated with the audience. And, in the end, they are the only ones who matter aren’t they?”
Yes sir Captain!