The Speaking Club: Mastering the Art of Public Speaking Making National Security Meaningful with David Van Bennekum - 286
When I met David Van Bennekum on Linked In and he told me he’d written a self-help book on National Security, I thought ‘That’s a bit unusual, followed by blimey he’s got some guts … that’s a challenging topic’.
My curiosity was well and truly piqued though, so I had a look at his LinkedIn profile and saw that he was a former United States Marine Corps Infantry and Logistics Officer. He was a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and he’d retired from active service as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Then I saw that besides that, he had a law degree and also a Masters in National Security Law from Georgetown University.
He obviously had the knowledge, but as I messaged him back to find out more, I’m not going to lie … based on previous conversations with some ‘experts’, I was fully expecting him to bore the pants off me!
But … the opposite happened. When he started sharing about it, he didn’t waffle on about facts and stats, no … he made me laugh and even better, gave me a light bulb moment about something truly important.
And that’s when I knew I had to get him on the show, because being able to make something complex, technical and difficult, engaging and relatable to an audience, is a key skill for writers and speakers.
If you want to get a different perspective on how to make your subject more entertaining, then sit back and listen ‘cause you’ll love this show.
What you’ll discover:
- Why David decided to write the first self-help book on National Security
- How he decided on the big idea of the book
- Why people are sceptical about it and how he addresses that.
- Why the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game is relevant to National Security
- David’s definition of National Security and why he thinks it applies universally.
- What he means by ‘true community’
- How he approached making the topic entertaining and relatable, and why this was so critical.
- Some examples of his approach in action.
- Where speaking fits into the picture.
All things David:
https://store.bookbaby.com/book/searching-for-true-community
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dvanbennekum/
X: @dvanbennekum
Books & Resources*:
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Resources:
The Hookology Workshop - Making Sure Your Talk is Captivating From the Start
Grab Your From Blank Page to Stage Guide and Nail the Topic for a Client Winning Talk
Get a Powerful Talk Structure - Join the Masterclass
Want to get better at finding and sharing your stories then check out our FREE Five Day Snackable Story Challenge
Practice your speaking & test your content in a safe space in The Speaking Club ‘Live’ Membership
Want to create a signature talk that sells, then check out our Nail Your Signature Talk in 60 Days programme.
Want to find out about working with me 121 then book a call here.
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