A mythical speech and a man on the moon

This week sees the release of the film First Man, which tells the story of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon in July 1969. The result of a decade's worth of effort, this feat is partly due to a legendary speech made by John Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1962.

The trailer for the highly anticipated film First Man, starring Ryan Gosling, features the voice of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The words come from a speech of only 18 minutes given in 1962 at Rice University, near Houston where the Human Spaceflight Center is located. At a time when most scientists and experts were sceptical about the possibility of going to the Moon, the American President succeeded in uniting an entire nation to achieve what seemed impossible.

How did this intervention change the course of the space race? Recently, Professor Andrew Carton of Wharton University analysed thousands of NASA-related documents that shed light on the power of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's words.

Establishing a clear vision

In front of an audience of 35,000 people, the President of the United States, determined and confident, offers a vision that galvanises a whole people: "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade, and to accomplish other things, not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because this goal will serve to organise and give the best of our energies and skills, because this is the challenge we are ready to take up, the one we refuse to postpone, the one we firmly intend to win, and so do the others. John Fitzgerald Kennedy knew the many obstacles that had to be overcome, but he also knew that nothing is more effective in motivating people than highlighting a goal that makes them dream.

Federating and addressing all

The power of the speech also lies in its ability to reach out to an entire nation. John Fitzgerald Kennedy did not simply address astronauts or space experts but sought to mobilise everyone. An anecdote found in the documents analysed by Andrew Carton perfectly symbolises this desire. Someone once asked a technician who was cleaning up at NASA what he was doing, and he replied: 'I'm putting a man on the moon'. Furthermore, throughout his speech, the personal pronoun "we" is used, thus establishing a collective vision where everyone can contribute in their own way.

Concrete to bring the vision to life

But a vision can only lead to action if it is embodied in concrete facts. Thus, throughout his speech, John Fitzgerald Kennedy took care to link his subject, which might seem very distant, to the everyday concerns of his audience. He said: "But why the Moon, some might say? Why make it our goal? One could just as easily ask: why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, cross the Atlantic? ».

He also shows that the first stones of the adventure are already being laid, it is not just a dream but a tangible reality: "In the last 24 hours, we have visited the installations under construction, for the largest and most complex exploration in the history of Man". In order to be as concrete as possible, he also uses numerous metaphors that bring his words to life.

This speech alone cannot explain why Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon in July 1969, but it demonstrates the power and impact that a visionary speech can have. It is, even today and forever, the words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy that will symbolise the first achievements of the space conquest. When it comes to public speaking, the lessons for all leaders who want to lift mountains are simple: establish a clear vision, get everyone on board and be practical.