opinion
Justin Langer: How a Daisy Pearce speech reiterated to me the power of finding the right words

Maxy Walker had a smile and laugh that would light up the room. He made an Aerogard commercial back in the 70’s that I still remember. The catch cry was, ‘Ave a good weekend Mr Walker’.” To which he replied, “Yep, ‘ave a good weekend son.” I was seven years old then, and those simple words still make me smile. Max was an Australian fast bowler who delivered the cricket ball like he was doing butterfly in the swimming pool. His action was unique, as was he. As a cricketer, he was memorable, but certainly not one of my heroes. Later in life, that changed when he inspired me and acted as an incredible inspiration. Early in my professional cricket career, I was having a beer with Maxy when he told me about his post-cricket career. He revealed he did more than 200 speaking gigs every year which earned him over a million dollars. He was excitedly describing his passion for honing his craft of storytelling. His energy and ambition were infectious. At the time, I had never delivered a keynote address, but I was curious about what the outcome of becoming a world-class orator could provide. Call me a capitalist, but a million bucks a year for telling stories? My young brain couldn’t believe it. For a time, Maxy was also Australia’s most successful author, having penned 14 books, including his iconic How to Hypnotise Chooks and others like How to Tame Lions, How to Kiss a Crocodile and How to Puzzle a Python. The first time I watched Max Walker speak I was utterly mesmerised. A masterful raconteur, his gifted storytelling connected with the audience by sharing universal truths and his own experiences. I, like the rest of the audience, laughed, nodded, tingled, and remained silent and utterly engrossed. Imagine being able to do that one day, I thought. Today, one of my roles is public speaking, thanks in no small part to Maxy Walker. His wit was as authentic as his bowling action, and in his happy way, he planted a seed into my 22-year-old psyche more than 30 years ago. I love writing, and I study the art of speaking and the written word. Just as I worked on improving my batting, hopeful of being rewarded for the work, I feel the same way about the arts of speaking and writing. The best speaker I have ever seen is Alan Jones. He once gave me some invaluable advice. “Mate,” he said. “Most of your time on stage will be pure entertainment, but if every person in the audience remembers just one or two things you say that makes them better, then you have done a great job.” Over the last few weeks, I have been lucky to have watched several extraordinarily gifted speakers, or heard about their presentations. Two I will write about today. Unfortunately, I was unwell for the West Coast Eagles AFLW season launch a few weeks ago. I had heard from several people about Daisy Pearce’s address to her team and the wider WCE fraternity. At my request, Don Pyke sent me the video of Daisy’s speech earlier this week. When Daisy finished speaking, I was ready to run through brick walls. So pumped with what she said, I sent Daisy a text message saying: “Hi Coach. Holy s**t. I just watched your speech. Incredible. Honest, Heartfelt. I am so glad I have now listened, and I am so happy this group of young women are being led by you.” In the first 10 seconds of her speech, she asked the audience to close their eyes. From there, she encouraged the girls to “remember the first time they held a football in your hands. The excitement. How did it feel? How did it smell? Kicking that ball in the backyard. Dreaming of your favourite player. “ “Remember your first game, often against the boys,” she said. “You start to drive for hours to be a part of your first girls’ team. Then, somehow, football starts taking over your life — the love of the camaraderie and competition of the sport. Your love for the game keeps bringing you back. You’re secretly dreaming of becoming an AFL player. You dream of being drafted by one of the biggest clubs in the AFL. “How excited you would be to be on an AFL list. What a privilege it would be to be a professional athlete. How proud your parents and family would be of you. Your local club and their pride. How exciting would that be?” Daisy then asked the girls to open their eyes. From there, she said: “Well, now you are here.” For the next 20 minutes, the coach talked about the journey, the challenges and other inspiring women who have defeated the odds to triumph. Actions speak louder than words, but in these words, this woman-of-action inspired every person in the room. I will be astonished if Daisy’s road from superstar player to elite coach isn’t seamless. The early signs are good. Fortuitously, while watching the season-opener last Friday at Mineral Resources Park, Richard Goyder asked me if I had seen Dr Brendan Nelson speak at The West Australian’s Leadership Matters Breakfast a few weeks before. I hadn’t, but I promised to get a copy from Seven West boss, Maryna Fewster. For the second time in 24 hours, I was inspired not only by the messages of Dr Nelson but also by his articulately presented and beautifully eloquent use of words in his address. Having met Brendan a few years ago at the War Memorial in Canberra, where he hosted the Australian cricket team before we visited Gallipoli, I shouldn’t have been surprised. The three things that stood out were: firstly, his words: “I have come to believe that you cannot be taught leadership, but you can certainly learn it, through experience and curiosity.” Secondly, his respect and admiration for Senator Neville Bonner, who was the first Indigenous Australian to enter the Federal Parliament. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. And finally, Dr Nelson said of everything he has learned in his distinguished career that, “character is the number one factor of success”. He observed that at his stage of life, funerals overtake weddings, birthday parties and the like and that when a person dies, “people will remember not what they have done, but rather how they treated people and the effect they had on others’ lives”. Today, we can see great orators through so many mediums. TED talks, podcasts, live presentations, commentary or even in our own offices or teams; the opportunities are endless. Like heroes, these storytellers come in all shapes and sizes, genders, colours, and abilities. I have watched the best of the best through prime ministers, presidents, and politicians who have guided and calmed their countries through the best and worst of times. Then there are the ex-sportspeople like Kim Hughes, Mike Whitney, Rodney Hogg, Kerry O’Keeffe, Sam Kekovich and Sam Newman. Their stories are often timeless and hilarious, proving that laughter and inspiration can lift our spirits and encourage us to dream of the future. Or salesmen and visionaries like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Richard Branson who inspire the masses and their clients to take a punt on their products. The ability to bring things to life through the power of the spoken and written word is something I love, and it is through the influence of storytelling that we come alive and learn.

opinionJustin Langer: How a Daisy Pearce speech reiterated to me the power of finding the right words

opinion
Justin Langer: How a Daisy Pearce speech reiterated to me the power of finding the right words