Show Notes
Well-traveled keynote speakers have a tendency to complain about the trials and tribulations of life on the road. You know, trivial things like dirty bed sheets, a poor Wi-Fi connection, blue cheese on your salad (even though you asked for none).
However, a few speakers have overcome so much more than mundane travel misfortunes. Some speakers, such as Hall of Fame keynote speaker Captain Charlie Plumb, have overcome real-world challenges that are almost unimaginable for the rest of us.
Captain Charlie Plumb is a Former Fighter Pilot, six-year prisoner of war and a Keynote Speaker who was ejected from his plane behind enemy lines and spent six long years in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp. Hear his life-changing story about a man who had a very special role to play in that fateful flight as legendary speaker, Charlie Plumb, takes the stage on this episode of Standing Ovation.
Find out about:
- Hear Captain Charlie Plumb’s ‘Packing Parachutes’ story
- How to take your stories and apply them to your presentation
- What holds speakers back from believing in their stories
- Why it’s important to move the action along in a story and make it as concise as possible
- How Charlie keeps his story fresh – even after 35 years of telling it!
- Tips for tying your story back to the audience
- Why Charlie became a keynote speaker
- How Charlie integrates new stories into his presentations
Quotes from the episode:
“If you can get into the hearts and minds of people, you have a talent that is God given and it’s a real cop-out not to use that talent.”
“There’s not a person alive that doesn’t have an interesting story.”
“If you study a company well enough, you can find connections within your experience and their experience.”
Connect with Captain Charlie Plumb
2 Key Questions
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given about the speaking business?
“Bill Gove gave me a great piece of advice… to connect with an audience, you have to love the audience. You have to go in with a giving, loving, and sharing attitude… humility is a characteristic I look for in all speakers. Folks who can talk to me on my level and not try to talk down to me.”
Who is your dream guest for Standing Ovation?
“Jeanne Robertson is a classic. The lady never quits and is a student of her craft. Another guy I find interesting is Jocko Willink. He is a Navy Seal and has had very interesting experiences that he has developed into some very interesting stories.”
