Accidental Public Speaking

Public Speaking? No Way!

When I started down this road of adventure I never had any thoughts that it might lead to being in the public eye.  I definitely never had any idea that I would be doing public speaking.  Anyone that knows me realizes speaking is not my thing.  I am the type of person that doesn’t say anything unless it needs to be said.  Small talk and I are not ever associated.  

Getting Started

So when I was first asked to talk about my ascent of El Capitan, I was eager to try because I want people to see what is possible.  On the other hand, I was terrified to get up in front of an audience and be the center of attention. That is something else that has never been linked to me. I had thoughts of why would anyone care about what I did.  It isn’t as if I am the first to ever do this or that I did anything groundbreaking. What didn’t cross my mind until later, is that other people can learn from my experiences and be inspired to try things that they might not otherwise have thought possible.

My First Foray into Public Speaking

My first foray into this public speaking thing was actually before I had ascended El Capitan.  I needed to raise funds to make it happen and thought this might be a good way to get the word out.  I made a powerpoint presentation and booked a few presentations in my local area.  The first time I had to get up there my mouth was dry. I kept thinking I am talking too fast. My mind was racing, and I was completely nervous. I got through it. !t also helped that the audience was mostly people I knew.  I have also learned that technology is the bane of a public speaker.  I am pretty sure I have not gotten through a single appearance without some sort of technical difficulty, even at Google.  I always find a way to pull it off though. 

After getting a few events behind me I started to realize that people were there to hear what I had to say and be inspired by things that I had done in my life.  I started to relax. Instead of force feeding information to the audience. I make it a conversation.  Of course I still get nervous but I also enjoy every moment of it.

Who Woulda Thunk It?

Since that first presentation I have gone on to do more than 30 presentations across the country.  I have been invited to fundraisers for adaptive organizations, Google, film festivals where the Enock movie has premiered and also spoken to schools. I love the opportunity to show people that with the right community and perseverance anything is possible. We all may not do things in the same way but we can all accomplish the same goals.  I like to tell people my personal motto “if you try, things happen!” I truly believe those words.  It may take more work, more help, or a different method but anything is possible. 

Unforgettable Moments

I have had some unforgettable moments with people after my presentations. When a nervous little boy came up to me at a presentation I did in San Francisco, he looked at me and couldn’t speak. His mom finally had to tell me he wanted to meet me so he could tell me about his climbing experience in Yosemite. I happened to be signing autographs which is another weird thing I never thought I would ever do.  So I started talking to him asking what he loved about climbing, what route he did, and he started to open up.  He was super excited to tell me all about it. 

Another time I spoke at a fundraiser for Paradox Sports and it was only about a 3 minute talk as part of a whole group of speakers.  After I was finished I got a standing ovation. Truth be told I hadn’t even prepared anything I was just speaking from the heart and head. I had thought about a message theme but didn’t prepare the words I wanted to say. I find that is when I do my best speaking.  When I just say what I think and feel.  A friend came up to me afterward and was very honest.  He said when I first heard you were doing public speaking I thought well that’s nice for him to have something to do. Then after seeing it for himself, he said wow you really have it.  That was a truly awesome moment because that person knows me and my personality. He knew that it was difficult for me to do but hearing that made me realize I had turned a point.  I had figured it out. 

One last example of life changing moments and then I will let you go for this week.  My movie “Enock” premiered at the Adventure Film Festival in 2016. Right before the movie, I was asked to say something. I had no idea I would be asked to speak so once again I hadn’t thought about it at all. There were nearly 1000 people in the audience. The Boulder Theater was packed. I think there were even people standing. I got up there and just started talking about the amazing community that helped pull off the adventure of a lifetime.  When I was done the crowd erupted into applause and cheers.  I will never forget that moment.  There are definitely many other moments but this post would get super long if I told you about them all.

Closing Thoughts

I am truly grateful for what has been brought to my life through adventure and speaking.  I am always happy to speak at any event, organization or school.  If you are interested in having me speak I have a page for requests. You can find it here https://www.gobeyondthefence.com/speaking-engagements/

Feel free to reach out and I will do my best to make it happen!