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Tap Code “By tapping covertly on our cell walls using an alphabet code we maintained our unity. We encouraged and cared for each other. We passed information, learned poetry, even learned new languages. I got to know my fellow prisoners like brothers, though I’d never even seen them.”
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of Captain Gerald Coffee
Q. How can audiences relate to a speaker who was a Vietnam POW? A. Several ways! First, my program "Beyond survival" is not a Vietnam story, it is a story about the invincibility of the human spirit. At the outset I draw the audience in with the suggestion that my story is their story. We all get "shot down", we all find ourselves in various "prisons". I transfer the lessons learned in Vietnam to their personal and professional issues. Q. Won’t your message be depressing? A. To the contrary! It is inspirational and uplifting. It emphasizes the humorous side of my experience. Audiences leave feeling inspired, confident, proud, and entertained. Q. How do you personalize your presentation? A. Before each engagement the client fills out a questionnaire about the organization; structure. audience cross section, recent challenges. successes/achievements. meeting theme, and--bottom line--why I was chosen for the specific occasion. I follow up with a conference call for a better feel for the culture of the group. Then, when I talk about the application of "lessons learned," I refer to their specific issues, and--most memorable--I tap out specifics when I talk about POW communication through the prison walls. Q. You speaks about faith. Is it a religious talk? A. No it isn't. The faith I speak of is faith in self, faith in one another, faith in our country, and faith in God. When I speak of the latter I always acknowledge the personal nature of spiritual faith and speak only of "what worked for me", and only in non-denominational terms. In fact, spiritual faith was an essential ingredient to my survival, and although it takes a small portion of my program, it elicits very appreciative feedback. A. Yes! I always acknowledge up front that for many (sometimes most) in my audience, Vietnam is like ancient history. But there is still a mystique about Vietnam in the younger generation; so many unanswered questions. I point out that regardless of the era, so many insights and lessons derived have application in the present, in our daily lives. .Not only will your young people come away inspired but also with more insight into a chapter of America's history that has remained very obscure. "Beyond Survival" is not only universal, but timeless as well. Q. Our company has industry specific terminology. How do you incorporate this into your program? A. As I mentioned above, the pre-engagement questionnaire, and the conference call are used to familiarize myself with those specifics. Plus, over the past 20 years I've spoken in over 20 different industries and have come to know not only the jargon unique to each, but also the most common issues, whether it be in insurance, technology, finance, health care, manufacturing, etc. I always try to attend the presentations by corporate executives which precede my own so that I can make my own program more pertinent, more seamless to the over-all program. Some in my audiences have actually thought that I had worked in their profession between leaving the U.S. Navy and becoming a speaker. Q. We had you speak two years ago. Why should we hire you again? A. For a couple of reasons; most obviously, personnel turnover, but also because the post 9-11--01 environment is different. Also, people change. I've had an audience member say "I heard you a couple of years ago. I enjoyed it then and even more now. You've changed the presentation haven't you!" No, not really. Maybe a couple of different anecdotes, but the basic message is still the same. But YOU have changed, and there are different issues and priorities in your life now, and from the same words you've heard a different message than you did then. Q. Some members of our audience will be from other countries. Won’t your program leave them out? A. Not really, because I consciously adjust for that. I acknowledge up front that there are those not from America in the audience, but because our countries have so much in common (true more often than not)--politics, social issues, media, globalization, etc. - my points will ring true with them as well. Having said that, even though Beyond Survival does comes from my American perspective, it still seems to touch non-Americans in a positive and uplifting way. I frequently get feedback to that effect. Q. Will you be available to mingle with our participants before or after your presentation? A. Definitely! I look upon that activity as part and parcel of what I do. When I say in my program, "Look, there is nothing extraordinary about me, I'm really a very average guy. We draw our strengths from the same sources, we are of the same clay and spirit. The reasons I survived such an experience are the very same reasons that you would have too." The more approachable and available I am off the platform simply reinforces my message. Obviously, sometimes my schedule doesn't allow for much "hangin' out" time, but I always try to make it a priority. Q. Does you push your products on the platform? A. Never! For what I do, and the nature of my message, to talk about a book or tapes would be totally inappropriate. I do make mail order forms for my book, audio, or video available, and simply ask that an announcement of their availability be made after my program. Q. Can your books or tapes be pre-purchased? A. My book "Beyond Survival; Building on the Hard times" really extends the take-home value of my message, and, when budget allows, makes a very classy gift--signed and personalized--for each of your attendees. Q. Will you stay after your presentation for Q & A? A. I love Q &A, and when time and format allow I strongly recommend it. Sometimes some of the best insights are shared in the extemporaneous format of Q & A. It also strengthens the connection even more and makes the program that much more memorable. Q. Has your speech become more relevant since 9/11/01? A. Actually, my program has always been especially relevant to the issues raised by that tragic event; dealing with cataclysmic change, living in uncertain and fearful times, appreciating relationships with family and friends, understanding our sources of strength, patriotic and spiritual values, and finding perspective. However, the September 11th attack on America has made it even more imperative that we maintain those four faiths I cited in my program; faith in ourselves to determine the purpose of the attack in our personal and professional lives, faith in one another in a totally united stand against the scourge of terrorism (remember “Unity Over Self!”), faith in America in rejecting moral or intellectual equivocation about a clear case of good vs. evil here, and, of course, a faith in God -- the source of comfort and perspective in our grieving and uncertainty. Q. You live in Hawaii? Doesn’t that make the travel expensive? Especially to the East Coast? A. Not really. I decided several years ago to charge a pre-set, upfront expense fee ranging from $1100 to $1400 depending on the location of the event. This always saves the client money (on actual airline tickets) and saves administrative time. This also covers ALL expenses except for 1 or 2 hotel nights to be billed on your master account. For Hawaii events, expenses are practically negligible. |
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