4 Communication Skills I Learned From Real Top Gun Fighter Pilots

Carmine Gallo speaking to elite fighter pilots at the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course, Yuma, AZ

Tom Cruise is the perfect actor to play an elite fighter pilot because, like the professionals he portrays in Top Gun Maverick, he approaches his work with an uncompromising commitment to excellence.

I know why Cruise insisted on putting IMAX cameras in real fighter jets to capture the intensity of the experience. I’ve had the rare opportunity to ride in a F/A-18 Hornet with a pilot from the Navy’s Blue Angels. I’ve also sat behind the controls of a $10 million flight simulator, and been invited to speak to TOPGUN and Marine Corps aviators who are among the U.S. military’s most elite pilots.

When fighter pilots are racing through rugged terrain at supersonic speed, they don’t have time to read detailed instructions. Instead, their reactions are drawn from years of experience, thousands of hours of practice, relentless feedback loops, and clearly articulated mission objectives.

The following communication skills required to be a top fighter pilot will help you soar in any field.

1). Life-Long Learning.

A commitment to life-long learning is deeply ingrained in the military culture. As a result, flight commanders are among the most voracious readers I’ve met in any field.

When I spoke to a class of Marine Corp aviators at a graduate-level course in Yuma, Arizona, I was impressed with the variety of books they read beyond required textbooks. Some of them read my books on communication while others focus on history, biographies, and psychology books. But they’re all readers. Constant and never-ending improvement is a foundational element of leadership.

2). Debriefs and Feedback Loops.

Debriefs are the hallmark of a successful mission. A debrief occurs after a training mission (or a real one) and often lasts longer than the actual flight.

In most cases, the lead pilots are responsible for conducting the debrief, and they begin by identifying their own mistakes. Even if the mission went smoothly, there’s always room for improvement. By acknowledging their own mistakes, leaders give tacit permission to the rest of the team to identify those areas where they could have performed better.

Hold debriefs with your team. For example, if you launched a new product or service, ask the following questions: What went well with our product launch? What did we learn? What mistakes did we make that we can avoid next time? Above all, encourage yourself and others to recognize their mistakes and express a commitment to fixing them next time.

Carmine gets a tour of Harrier jets with the famous Black Sheep Squadron

3). Clear and Concise Communication.

Clarity is at the heart of a mission brief. And clarity is achieved through the acronym BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front).

BLUF is a concise recap of the essential message (no more than three sentences), and it’s always ‘up front.’ Every person on the flight team must be crystal clear on the objective—the big picture, and that’s what BLUF delivers.

Apply BLUF to your emails, memos, and presentations. Start with the big picture before diving into details.

Carmine gets an inside look at a Super Cobra attack helicopter

4). Exceptional Presentation Skills.

Only about 1% of fighter pilots get chosen to be instructors because they not only have to be among the best aviators—the role also requires exceptional communication skills.

Those applying to be instructors in the TOPGUN program must pass a grueling test: deliver a four-hour presentation from memory (no notes or reading from slides). The only way to pass with flying colors is to practice. Many candidates practice for months in front of their peers. I’ve noticed that the best leaders are gracious when they hear positive feedback, but they encourage their peers to tell them what they did wrong and where they can improve. Great leaders have the confidence to invite criticism, and they use that feedback to be even better.

Carmine gets an up-close look at the cockpit of a V-22 Osprey

It takes passion, dedication, and an unrelenting commitment to excellence to reach the top in any field—qualities that make real Top Guns stand out.

Storytelling Tips from Stephen Hawking’s Co-Author

Leonard Mlodinow co-authoring books with Stephen Hawking

People who reach the top in nearly every field have different skills, of course, but they share one thing in common: they’ve learned to express their ideas to inspire others to action.

Dr. Leonard Mlodinow is one such expert. He’s co-written two books with his mentor, Stephen Hawking. He also writes scripts for television shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In short, Mlodinow knows science and storytelling.

I interviewed Mldoninow recently about his new book, Emotional. You can watch our entire conversation on my YouTube channel, CarmineGalloTV.

Carmine Gallo and theoretical physicist, Leonard Mlodinow

Mlodinow credits Hawking for helping him understand that teaching complex ideas to non-experts requires a different set of language tools. Most of us don’t understand formulas outside of our field (which is why Hawking insisted on just one formula in his mega-bestselling book, A Short History of Time). Hawking also told Mlodinow that people resonate with stories.

Mlodinow fills his book with stories, both person and historical.

Personal Stories. Mlodinow uses his parents, both of whom are Holocaust survivors, to explain how the brain interprets traumatic events and experiences.

Historical Stories. Mlodinow writes about the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton and how he survived the famous wreck of his ship, Endurance. The story of Shackleton’s 800-mile journey in a lifeboat opens a chapter on happiness and how people can stay positive despite facing daunting prospects.

“People love stories and it pulls people along,” says Mlodinow.

Find stories to make your content relatable. If people relate to you, they’ll be more likely to follow you and take action on your ideas.

Talking Leadership with Beloved Houston Philanthropist, ‘Mattress Mack’

You’re lucky in life if you get to know some people who make you a better person. The best part of my career is that I get many opportunities to build relationships with inspiring people who lift me higher.

One of those leaders is Jim McIngvale, known throughout Texas as “Mattress Mack.” Mack and his wife, Linda, started Gallery Furniture in Houston in 1981 with $5,000, a dream, and an extraordinary work ethic. Today, Gallery Furniture is the most profitable furniture store per square foot in the U.S. And Mack doesn’t forget the local community that helped him achieve his dream.

Mack made national news in August of 2017 when Hurricane Harvey brought 70 inches of rain to Southeast Texas. Mack opened his stores as shelters for hundreds of families who had been flooded out of their homes. When reporters asked him why he was so generous, Mack replied: “How can I not be? We’re Texans and we take care of each other.”

Mack is at it again this week as the people of Texas battle an historic cold and ice storm that’s knocked out power to millions across the state. Within hours of seeing the need, Mack rushed into action and opened his galleries for anyone who needs shelter. He delivers the message on Facebook and through local media. What he doesn’t say often say publicly is that he also pays for everything out of his pocket — clothes, warm meals, and any other materials that people need to take care of themselves and their families.

During my time with Mack, I helped him craft his story to share with a broader audience through TED talks and other platforms. I saw first-hand how beloved he is in the city of Houston. Everywhere we went, people would greet him with a smile or a hug and shout “Mattress Mack!”

We attended a banquet in his honor, one of many requests and awards he regularly receives. On the drive home after he had received a standing ovation at one ceremony, we talked about his deep catholic faith and his servant attitude toward leadership.

Mack then turned to him and gave me a lesson I’ll never forget. Mack said,

“It’s our obligation to take care of the last, least, and lost in our society.”

As a business leader, what are you doing to give back to your community and to make the world a better place? Mack told me that he has a simple criteria to judge a company’s impact. He asks, “Will the customer miss you?”

Thousands of Houston residents would miss Mack, but thankfully he’s still giving back to help others achieve their dreams, too.

The 3 Benefits of Storytelling with NPR’s Guy Raz

Great entrepreneurs are great storytellers.

Just ask NPR’s Guy Raz, a popular podcaster whose stories of entrepreneurs reach more than 14 million listeners a month.

I recently had a Zoom video conversation with Raz to talk about his new book, “How I Built This.” In it, Guy talks to famous entrepreneurs about the lessons they learned while building their companies.

Guy calls his book a “love letter to the idea of possibility.” It’s a book that reminds us that entrepreneurs are just like us. They have dreams, hopes, fears and failures. But they’ve learned to recover, grow and strive to fight another day.

If you’d like to watch my entire conversation with Guy, you can see it on my YouTube channel (please subscribe to get updated new videos every week).

If you’d like to learn just one takeaway, it’s this: Great entrepreneurs are great storytellers.

According to Guy, the story of your company does three very crucial things.

1). It connects your employees to the mission of the business because when they know the story, they are more connected to the product or service they offer.

2). It connects you with investors and shareholders who need to believe in your story and your product.

3). It ultimately connects you to your customers. When customers understand the story behind a product or a service, they are much more likely to be invested in it as consumers.

Your job as a leader is to inspire everyone around you. You are the keeper of the story. Share it with passion!

Wishing you success,

Carmine Gallo

The New Public-Speaking App That’s Like Having a Coach by Your Side

Public-speaking is no longer a “soft skill”— it is THE fundamental skill to stand out and get ahead in any field. Now it’s easier than ever to build your presentation and speaking skills.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve partnered with the company behind an amazing new AI tool for public speaking. It’s called Presentr, an AI-driven system proven to help you become a more engaging, captivating, and memorable speaker.

It’s a personalized coaching app that provides objective, data-driven feedback in real time.

Get started in three simple steps.

  1. Download the app to your desktop or mobile device.
  2. Record yourself delivering a presentation or talking.
  3. See the instant feedback and guidance to help you improve your communication skills.

The app gives you a score from 0-100. The algorithm is working in real-time to analyze your speaking ability. Your score is based on a variety of factors: volume, pace, filler words, and more. Best of all, the app provides games and instant tips to help you improve.

The billionaire Warren Buffett says that improving your public-speaking skills will boost your professional value by 50% instantly. Why? Because you’re only as valuable as your ideas, and ideas don’t sell themselves. Great speakers attract investors, sell products, build companies, inspire teams, and spark movements.

Effective public-speaking is your competitive edge. Now, with PRESENTR, you get instant feedback on how well you’re doing and the guidance you need to improve dramatically.

I write books on communication skills and I work directly with leaders at the world’s largest brands. But what if you don’t have direct access to an expert? Presentr is like having a public-speaking coach by your side—wherever you go!

Build your confidence today and begin speaking with passion and impact. To get started, visit presentr.me

 

 

Carmine Gallo and 49ers Hall of Famer Steve Young Go Inside the Mind of a Champion

Carmine Gallo talks leadership with 49ers hall of fame quarterback, Steve Young

Steve Young vividly remembers the last time the San Francisco 49ers won a Super Bowl twenty-five years ago. He was in it, throwing a record six touchdown passes to lead the team to victory in Super Bowl XXIX.

Young missed the after-party because he was so dehydrated, doctors hooked him up to an IV. Young left everything he had on the field. “I relished the moment,” Young told me. “I was right where I wanted to be.”

Young was a fierce competitor and an inspiring leader, on and off the field.

Young and the 49er faithful are excited about another opportunity to bring home a Lombardi trophy when the team meets the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami for Super Bowl 2020.

Carmine Gallo and hall of fame quarterback, Steve Young, are students of leadership.

I caught up with Young to talk about leadership on and off the field. In the video below for CGTV (Carmine Gallo TV) we talk about how Young found the mental strength to go from eighth-string quarterback in his freshman year to an All-American in his senior year.

Young tells me the incredible true story of the season he waited to cash $4 million worth of paychecks because he didn’t feel as though he had earned it. Young also talks about overcoming anxiety and the day he became transformed into a true leader.

When things don’t go well and everyone starts pointing fingers, a leader takes responsibility. Steve Young

Watch the video to get a glimpse into the mind of a champion.

3 Simple Communication Tips That Turned This Producer Into a Hollywood Icon

The communication tips I learned in a recent interview from iconic Hollywood producer Brian Grazer are so insightful, I almost kept them to myself! But that wouldn’t be fair to the readers of Talking Leadership, would it? You’re here to get fresh insights from billionaires, CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders.  So here goes.

Brian Grazer and director Ron Howard teamed up forty years ago to form Imagine Entertainment. They’ve made some of the highest-grossing and iconic movies and television shows of our time: A Beautiful Mind, Splash, Apollo 13, American Gangster, 8 Mile, The Da Vinci Code, Arrested Development, and 100 others.

BrianGrazerCover

I caught up with Grazer to talk about his new book. It’s titled, Face to Face: The Art of Human Connection. Here are 3 tips that Grazer credits for propelling his career from an entry-level clerk to the top of Hollywood’s A-list.

 

1). Seek out curiosity conversations

When Grazer first started in the business, he set a goal to meet one new person a day in the movie business—and to learn one nugget of wisdom from that person. He then expanded the goal to meet to one person a week from outside the industry. Forty years later, he still sets up “curiosity conversations.” Grazer reaches out to people he’s curious about to talk to them for one hour. He has other motive than to learn something from them that will broaden his mind and leave him inspired, uplifted, and curious to know even more. As Grazer’s influence grew, so did the caliber of curiosity conversations. Grazer has had conversations with a who’s who of leadership over the years: Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Warren Buffett, Sara Blakely, Isaac Asimov and countless others.

Be curious and keep an open mind and open heart.

2). Establish trust with eye contact

Grazer gave me the simplest and most profound advice he’s ever received—and he’s used the tip for decades to convince studio heads, actors, directors and funders to back his ideas. Strong relationships are based on trust, Grazer says. And trust starts with eye contact. According to Grazer, “Eye contact is the first, simplest and most important step to get on that bridge to human connection. Nobody is going to make any major decision in your favor unless they feel a human connection. It all begins with eye contact.”

eye contact matters.

3). Pitch ideas with a universal theme

Grazer told me that early in his career, he wrote a story about a mermaid who falls in love with a regular guy. Nobody wanted to take a chance on it. A mermaid movie was a hard sell. Grazer made one switch to his pitch and landed Disney as the studio that made Splash, one of the highest-grossing films of 1984 and the movie that made Tom Hanks a star. Instead of pitching a ‘mermaid movie,’ Grazer reframed the pitch. Instead of a mermaid movie, Grazerexplained how  it was inspired by his personal search for true love in Los Angeles, “a place where everything—including relationships—seemed superficial.” Finding a deep connection seemed unattainable to Grazer at the time, almost like falling in love with a mermaid. From that day on, Grazer pitched ideas with universal themes that everyone could relate: love, family, unity, self-respect, or survival against the odds.

Find a theme that relates to everyone and you’re more likely win people over.

Brian GrazerFull disclosure—The personal interviews I have with leaders like Brian Grazer (see photo on left) are my version of curiosity conversations. I’m glad I can share them with you in this blog. Please tell your friends about it!

Find your passion, tell your story.

Carmine

The Tiger Woods Hero’s Journey in One Remarkable Graphic

Tigermania is sweeping the nation after Woods’s remarkable comeback, winning the Masters after his first victory at the Augusta National golf course 15 years earlier. “It’s a story we’ll be telling our grand-kids,” said one spectator.

Nike, the brand that stuck with Woods through ups and downs, didn’t wait that long. It released a 51-second ad within minutes of Woods putting on the green jacket. Nike is a brand steeped in narrative. Its senior executives are even coached to be ‘corporate storytellers.’

Nike knows a good story when it sees it. A good story has a beginning, middle and an end. A great story has highs and lows. And humans are wired to love great stories.

Nike scored big this week with its ad showing videos and images of Tiger Woods from the age of 3 to winning his fifth Masters at the age of 43. Words on the screen reminded viewers that Tiger has experienced “every high and every low.”

The headlines that accompanied Woods’s victory also framed his journey in the context of epic stories. In the New York Times, Thomas Friedman used Tiger as a metaphor for the ‘game of life.’ One writer declared, “The Greatest Comeback Story in the History of Sports.” A UK newspaper called it “A True Story of Redemption.”

What’s going on here?

Woods’s story is irresistible because it follows a time-tested formula that mythologist Joseph Campbell identified in his 1949 book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

In its simplest form Campbell’s hero is called to an adventure (Tiger’s quest to become the greatest golfer of all time), meets a mentor who provides wisdom along the journey (Tiger’s dad, Earl), faces challenges and temptations (Tiger’s domestic and physical problems), and returns triumphantly as a transformed person (Tiger wins the Masters for the first time in nearly 15 years) and “becomes the person he wanted to be,” according to Sports Illustrated.

In filmmaking and storytelling, the challenges—which Campbell called ‘The Road of Trials’—must be serious and progressively difficult because it’s in the struggle that the hero discovers what they’re made of. Screenwriters call it the ‘all is lost’ moment when the hero appears to be defeated. Awful things did happened to Tiger Woods and we knew all about them.

Yes, Woods’s adventure follows Campbell’s structure. And his trials were awful, which makes the road to redemption all the more powerful. According to Campbell, it’s through struggle that we learn who we are and what we’re made of.

The Tiger Woods comeback story is a reminder that we process our world through the lens of narrative. Stories stick. Stories educate. Stories inspire. Share more of them.

Carmine Gallo is a popular keynote speaker, a bestselling author whose books have been translated into 40 languages, a communication advisor to the world’s most admired brands, and a graduate school instructor at Harvard University. 

Public Speaking is No Longer a ‘Soft Skill.’ It’s Your Key to Success in Any Field

Carmine Gallo speaks to banking executives about the role of persuasion in leadership.

After interviewing billionaires and CEOs, entrepreneurs and scientists for my new book, Five Stars, I’ve concluded that it’s time to stop referring to public speaking as a ‘soft skill.’ A wealthy investor at Y-Combinator, the iconic investment firm behind startups such as Reddit and Airbnb, convinced me to stop using the term. During our conversation, he called out my mistake.

“Let’s talk about a soft skill like storytelling,” I said.

“Soft?” he shot back. “If an entrepreneur can’t tell a convincing story, I’m not investing. You call it soft. I call it fundamental.”

Warren Buffett would agree. He says investing in yourself is the best investment a person can make—and public speaking is the best investment of all. Buffett has put precise cash value on communication. “The one easy way to become worth 50 percent more than you are now — at least — is to hone your communication skills,” Buffet says.

The Growing Value of Changing Minds

In a world built on ideas, the persuaders— the ones who can win hearts and change minds—have a competitive edge. While researching my book, I spoke to economists and historians like Deirdre McCloskey at the University of Illinois. She conducted an impressive research project to prove that old-fashioned rhetoric—persuasion—is responsible for a growing share of America’s national income.

McCloskey analyzed 250 occupations covering 140 million people in the U.S. In some cases, persuasion played a more limited role than others (think firefighters versus public relations specialists). McCloskey reached the following conclusion: Persuasion is responsible for generating one­ quarter of America’s total national income. She expects it to rise to 40% over the next twenty years. McCloskey’s research was taken up by another economist in Australia who reached a similar conclusion.

To understand why persuasion is no longer a soft skill, we need a short history lesson. In 1840, nearly 70 percent of the U.S. labor force worked on farms; today less than 2 percent of Americans work in agriculture. Manufacturing’s share of the labor force has dropped from 40 percent in 1950 to under 20 percent today. Income from manufacturing continues to fall as robots replace workers and artificial intelligence takes over repetitive tasks once handled by humans. The main task of the jobs that are left—and the new ones created—is to change minds. As McCloskey explains, “Nothing happens voluntarily in an economy, or a society, unless someone changes her mind. Behavior can be changed by compulsion, but minds cannot.”

By calling public speaking a ‘soft skill,’ it diminishes the skill’s value in a world that cherishes the ‘hard sciences.’ Public-speaking isn’t soft. It’s the equivalent of cold, hard cash.

How Bill Gates’ Favorite Infographic Will Make You a Better Communicator

Meeting with world leaders this week at the Davos conference in Switzerland, Bill Gates gave a public shout-out to the economist Max Roser. Specifically, Gates said that Roser has created his “favorite infographic,” one that depicts “just how much life has improved over the last two centuries.”

The graphic intersects two of my favorite subjects: the visual display of information and the enormous progress we’re making each and every day.

I like to consider myself part of a group of writers and thinkers who call themselves The New Optimists. They include Gates, Steven Pinker, Warren Buffett, and Hans Rosling who passed away last year but whose legacy is carried on by his family. Optimists don’t focus on what’s wrong. They focus on what we’ve done right so far and use the information to improve the future.

Rosling once said that if people knew about this information, they’d be having a party every day. We don’t celebrate every day, of course, because psychologically we’re wired for threats—bad news spreads much faster than good news.

The graphic is a wonderful illustration of the concept. Instead of using percentages, which are often abstract, it breaks down progress per 100 people. For example, let’s take extreme poverty. In 1820, 94 out of every 100 people in the world lived in extreme poverty. Today, the number of people living in extreme poverty is 10 out of every 100. The same type of breakdown shows massive improvement in basic education, literacy, democracy, vaccination rates and child mortality.

maxroser

If you look at the original research that made up the charts, you’ll find that it requires about 4,000 words to explain what you see. Or you can look at the visual and get the gist of it in under a minute.

When you deliver complex information in a presentation, website or social media, keep in mind that people are visual learners for the most part. Photos, graphics and animations are much more powerful than text alone.