ASTRONAUT SPEAKER RICK SEARFOSS
SENIOR LEADER MEDIA TRAINING WORKSHOP AND COACHING

FOR WHEN IT REALLY MATTERS

by Commander Rick Searfoss, CSP

Rick Searfoss was awarded the coveted speaker of the year award twice, and is the top rated keynote speaker, motivational speaker, and professional speaker for the American Speakers Bureau Corporation.

STS-58 * STS-76 * STS-90

Astronaut and Top Gun Fighter Pilot Speaker Rick Searfoss has twenty years of extensive media interactive experience. Beginning with the top performance in his training class of twenty-three astronauts in formal comprehensive media training for his duties to represent NASA and the United States as an astronaut and Space Shuttle commander, he has been the subject of well over a thousand television, radio, and print interviews. These interviews were with media outlets as diverse as CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, BBC, ITV, Discovery Channel, Associated Press, Reuters, UPI, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Popular Science, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, and many more.

Furthermore, while at NASA Colonel Searfoss led multiple astronaut crew press conferences, communications events, and U.S. Congress legislative communications activities. This work culminated in being selected by NASA senior management while commander of the STS-90 mission to represent the astronaut corps in a live media event conversing with then-President Bill Clinton. Immediately after retiring from the astronaut corps he served as an executive safety director for United Space Alliance (USA), the company that prepares the Space Shuttle for launch, for all Space Shuttle Ground Operations. In this capacity he and the safety staff prepared emergency response contingency briefing and press interaction plans and conducted training for USA senior staff.

Since then, in addition to his extensive keynote public speaking, Rick has been involved in numerous press activities, from serving as on-screen host and narrator of a 12 episode Discovery Channel Canada aerospace documentary to being a prime media "go-to" guy when newsworthy human space flight issues arise. In his various roles promoting human space flight, he presented to the media as Chief Judge the results of the $10 million Ansari X Prize, represents XCOR Aerospace to investors and the media, and constantly interacts with the press to get the word out about the entrepreneurial 'New Space" activities in which he is intimately engaged. Finally, recently he was the prime astronaut press contact in the public rollout and media campaign to promote the multi-million-dollar Shuttle Launch Experience public attraction at Kennedy Space Center.

From this extensive experience on the interviewee side, Rick has developed powerful user-oriented tools for executive media training. He believes his perspective on the "hot-seat" side of the microphone offers significantly more insight and value to clients than those who present such training after having worked exclusively on the media side. Rick knows and for years has successfully faced the challenges of getting his organizations' messages out in the face of short time slots, misunderstanding reporters, and even hostile interviewers.

Key Topics from Astronaut Rick Searfoss' "Out-of-this-World" Senior Leader Media Training:

Press Interaction: Opportunity, not Drudgery

Preparation to Situational Awareness to a Comfortable Interview

" Plan the Flight, Fly the Plan:" as applied to media interaction

The “4 Cs” Communications Basics: Clear, Complete, Concise, Concrete

Bridging to “The Real Issue Is…”

Getting Your Message Out Regardless of Interviewer Objective

“Lookin' Good’s a Full-Time Job:" wardrobe, posture, gestures, eye contact basics

"Smile, What’s the Worst that Could Happen:" relaxation, conversation, and winning over the audience even before you speak

Sparkling Gems: memorable tidbits and sound bites

The Best Defense is a Good Offense but You Still Need a Defense!

Interviewer Techniques, Traps, and Handling Multiple Interviewers

Specifics for Telephone, Radio, and Print Interviews

"Massive Multiplayer Gaming:" conquering in the news conference / Q & A Arena

Case Studies of Challenging Industry/Press Relations Events: Exxon-Valdez, Bhopal, Challenger/Columbia

Give It a Go: practice simulations and scenarios

This workshop can be adapted from three to six hours, depending on number of attendees, desired level of detail, and time available for case studies and simulation. Client-provided equipment requirements include handheld microphones (two or more), videotaping with wireless lapel mics feeding audio to the video camera, and suitable playback capability for debriefing.

Rick's vast client list includes organizations, from small enterprises to major corporations, including many of the Fortune 500. Rick Searfoss is well known for his ability to combine his business, technical and international experience with your organization's unique mission, and deliver a presentation specifically customized to your situation. Rick Searfoss has different presentations designed for groups as diverse high tech and low tech, sales, service, finance insurance, engineering, safety, technology and medical and manufacturing.

Rick Searfoss, Colonel, USAF Retired, former Top Gun fighter pilot, test pilot, astronaut, and Space Shuttle Commander is a distinguished execution, teamwork and leadership expert speaker who has piloted or commanded three highly successful space missions. As a mission commander, he is also one of less than a hundred people in history ever chosen to command a human space mission.

Today, Rick Searfoss stays very busy as an aerospace industry executive, innovator, spokesperson, test pilot and business development expert with several entrepreneurial “New Civilian Space Companies" creating the new millennium's most leading edge technologies.

Living what Rick Searfoss speaks about: Innovation, teamwork, leadership, and peak performance in action!

In August 2008, Astronaut Speaker and Top Gun test pilot, Colonel Rick Searfoss, successfully delivered at his biggest solo performance in front of over 100,000 aviation enthusiasts as the test pilot for the incredible team from XCOR Aerospace. Rick is the world's only tri-qualified rocket test pilot. Rick Searfoss flew the XCOR Aerospace experimental prototype rocket racing aircraft for three low altitude aerobatics demonstration flights to the amazement and delight of the crowd at the world's largest air show, the Oshkosh AirVenture, to showcase XCOR's fantastic new innovations and technologies.

This new level of record breaking, peak performance flying evolves into great stories about focus, confidence, teamwork and leadership in his presentations, plus, fantastic business innovation samples and stories of the principles that Rick Searfoss addresses as the Top Gun, Astronaut Speaker!"

STS-58

STS-76

STS-90