By now, we all know that Neil A. Armstrong - who passed away earlier this month - was the first man to walk on the moon. But who was he and what was he like?
Neil was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930.He began his NASA career in Ohio.
After serving as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1955. His first assignment was with the NACA Lewis Research Center (now NASA Glenn) in Cleveland. Over the next 17 years, he was an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for NACA and its successor agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Be sure to check out this VIDEO Tribute to Earth's first Lunar Pioneer
As a research pilot at NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., he was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the well known, 4000-mph X-15. He has flown over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders.
Armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1962. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on March 16, 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.
As spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, Armstrong gained the distinction of being the first man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its surface.
Armstrong subsequently held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. In this position, he was responsible for the coordination and management of overall NASA research and technology work related to aeronautics.
He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979. During the years 1982-1992, Armstrong was chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc., Charlottesville, Va.
He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California. He holds honorary doctorates from a number of universities.
Armstrong was a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical Society; Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the International Astronautics Federation.
He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. He served as a member of the National Commission on Space (1985-1986), as Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (1986), and as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Peace Corps (1971-1973).
Armstrong was decorated by 17 countries. He was the recipient of many special honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Congressional Gold Medal; the Congressional Space Medal of Honor; the Explorers Club Medal; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the Harmon International Aviation Trophy; the Royal Geographic Society's Gold Medal; the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's Gold Space Medal; the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award; the Robert J. Collier Trophy; the AIAA Astronautics Award; the Octave Chanute Award; and the John J. Montgomery Award.
Armstrong passed away on Aug. 25, 2012 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82
Throughout the world, many people in business still continue to be fascinated by Steve Jobs and his remarkable of legacy as a revolutionary innovator, clear communicator and presenter of ideas.
And yet, few embrace this simplicity when they have to give business presentations.
The fact is: the late Steve Jobs did not sell computers; he sold an experience. The same
holds true for his presentations. If you study them, you will see that they are meant to inform, educate, and
entertain. An Apple presentation has all the elements of a great
theatrical production—a great script, heroes and villains, stage props,
breathtaking visuals, and one moment that makes the price of admission
well worth it.
Here are the five elements of every Steve Jobs
presentation. We invite English Users to incorporate these elements into your own presentations to
sell your product or ideas the Steve Jobs way. Here are the highlights:
1. A headline. Steve Jobs positions every product with a headline that
fits well within a 140-character Twitter post. For example, Jobs
described the MacBook Air as "the world's thinnest notebook." That
phrase appeared on his presentation slides, the Apple Web site, and
Apple's press releases at the same time. What is the one thing you want
people to know about your product? This headline must be consistent in
all of your marketing and presentation material.
2. A villain. In every classic story, the hero fights the villain. In
1984, the villain, according to Apple, was IBM (IBM). Before Jobs
introduced the famous 1984 television ad to the Apple sales team for the
first time, he told a story of how IBM was bent on dominating the
computer industry. "IBM wants it all and is aiming its guns on its last
obstacle to industry control: Apple." Today, the "villain" in Apple's
narrative is played by Microsoft (MSFT). One can argue that the popular
"I'm a Mac" television ads are hero/villain vignettes. This idea of
conquering a shared enemy is a powerful motivator and turns customers
into evangelists.
3. A simple slide. Apple products are easy to use because of the
elimination of clutter. The same approach applies to the slides in a
Steve Jobs presentation. They are strikingly simple, visual, and yes,
devoid of bullet points. Pictures are dominant. When Jobs introduced the
MacBook Air, no words could replace a photo of a hand pulling the
notebook computer out of an interoffice manila envelope. Think about it
this way—the average PowerPoint slide has 40 words. In some
presentations, Steve Jobs has a total of seven words in 10 slides. And
why are you cluttering up your slides with too many words?
4. A demo. Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain gets bored
easily. Steve Jobs doesn't give you time to lose interest. Ten minutes
into a presentation he's often demonstrating a new product or feature
and having fun doing it. When he introduced the iPhone at Macworld 2007,
Jobs demonstrated how Google Maps (GOOG) worked on the device. He
pulled up a list of Starbucks (SBUX) stores in the local area and said,
"Let's call one." When someone answered, Jobs said: "I'd like to order
4,000 lattes to go, please. No, just kidding."
5. A holy smokes moment. Every Steve Jobs presentation has one moment
that neuroscientists call an "emotionally charged event." The
emotionally charged event is the equivalent of a mental post-it note
that tells the brain, Remember this! For example, at Macworld 2007, Jobs
could have opened the presentation by telling the audience that Apple
was unveiling a new mobile phone that also played music, games, and
video. Instead he built up the drama. "Today, we are introducing three
revolutionary products. The first one is a widescreen iPod with touch
controls. The second is a revolutionary mobile phone. And the third is a
breakthrough Internet communications device…an iPod, a phone, an
Internet communicator…an iPod, a phone, are you getting it? These are
not three devices. This is one device!" The audience erupted in cheers
because it was so unexpected, and very entertaining. By the way, the
holy smokes moment on Sept. 9 had nothing to do with a product. It was
Steve Jobs himself appearing onstage for the first time after undergoing
a liver transplant.
One more thing…sell dreams.
Charismatic speakers like Steve Jobs are
driven by a nearly messianic zeal to create new experiences. When he
launched the iPod in 2001, Jobs said, "In our own small way we're going
to make the world a better place." Where most people saw the iPod as a
music player, Jobs recognized its potential as a tool to enrich people's
lives. Cultivate a sense of mission. Passion, emotion, and enthusiasm
are grossly underestimated ingredients in professional business
communications, and yet, passion and emotion will motivate others. Steve
Jobs once said that his goal was not to die the richest man in the
cemetery. It was to go to bed at night thinking that he and his team had
done something wonderful. Do something wonderful.
Power Point presentations are something that a lot of people who work around the world do on a frequent basis. And many times, when the audience is international they must do them in English.
The question is: are they doing them right? And what about you?
For today's post, we'll take a look at a video with some key tips on the Art of Power Point presentations from Terri Sjodin, a well-known author, speaker and consultant in the field of business communication.
1. First, WATCH it once and try to understand the main idea. Try to see what Terri has to say about the following:
How important are colors, fonts and effects in a presentation?
How do you decide when to keep or scrap a Power Point slide?
What is a true and authentic visual aid?
Is the number of slides important? Why?
2. Now READ the transcript in detail. You may play it as you read if you like.
So then a lot of people say, "Terri, you don't understand... that's why I use my Power Point in my laptop because I think that that will make it a lot better".
I'm like... OK, now I don't want you to shoot the messenger here because sometimes visual aids truly can enhance your sales presentation. As long as they are truly and authentically a visual aid.
But most of the time, people use Power Point or their lap top presentations as a crutch to get them through their own material.
Pretend you for example are sitting in front of someone, a sales representative who's coming to pitch you. And they say, "Hey, I'm so excited about our meeting today. Tell you what I'm going to do. I'm just going to crack this laptop. I've got some great charts. I've got some great graphs."
And as soon as they start cracking that laptop, what's the first thing that runs through your mind? "Oh, my God! How long is this going to be?". As soon as we see a sales rep cracking a laptop, we starting thinking... 'cause it looks like they're moving in.
So we move forward. And they're like, "You don't understand. I use different colors. I use different fonts. Some of my slides come off like that. Some of them come off like that. I have this one that comes off like a paper airplane. It goes like that! Shhhzzt! It is so good".
I said, "You're right. I'm riveted."
Power Point is not necessarily the enemy. But the way that people execute from Power Point is typically the enemy. And I want you to remember this: when it comes to visual aids, you are the star and the visual aid is the bit player. If ever your visual aid starts to upstage you, you lose control of the presentation.
And here is the easiest thing to remember. Look at all of your slides before you make any presentation. And if you can look at those slides and you can ask yourself this question: "Is this slide for me or is it for them?". Because if it's for you to get you through your presentation, scrap it. If it's for them, so that they can visually understand your presentation better, then keep it. And that's the variable.
Now, here is this. Most people go... I'm a travel agent. I'm selling tickets to Hawaii. Most people would go: "Bullet point number one: You should go to Hawaii because they have beautiful white sand beaches. Bullet point number two: You should go to Hawaii because they have incredible dancing hula girls. Bullet point number three: You should go to Hawaii because they have incredible sunsets in the evening".
Is that a visual aid?
No. That's text and bullet points to help you get through your presentation.
A true authentic visual aid is visual.
It should be: A picture of the white sandy beaches. A picture of the beautiful dancing hula girls and then a picture of the beautiful sunsets in the evening.
That's an authentic visual aid. But people have gone absolutely bonkers with power point.
"Oh, no, we need more slides. More slides! More slides!"
I've seen as many as 220 slides in one sales presentation. I thought I was going to shoot myself. They're like: "What do you think?" I'm like: "I think I just found the cure for insomnia.
3. Finally, WATCH it a third time without reading the transcript. Then try to tell another person in English what the video is about including the 4 key points.
Glossary:
visual aid: any tool that helps to make something more clear visually riveted: captivated scrap: discard something bonkers: crazy
Armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1962. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on March 16, 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.
