Robin Sieger Blog

I spoke at a dinner recently, which is unusual for me, as after dinner presentations are where once upon a time how I got into speaking in public. I was a comedy writer for radio and tv, and was often asked to speak after dinner to 'do the funny stuff'.

I left television and moved away from comedy and into my passion, which is personal success, peak performance and motivation. So when I am asked to do an after dinner these days, it has to be in a business context, with more to it than 'jokes'. The reason is simple for me, there are many fantastic comedians I know who are brilliant, but wouldn’t be comfortable giving a presentation on success to a corporate audience.

So when I was asked to speak at this dinner I declined at first, but when it was explained that it would be a business dinner, that wanted an informative engaging talk on change, I accepted. The dinner was held in the most wonderful venue. It was in the Flight Gallery of the London Science Museum, where you can see many vintage aircraft and the history of aviation.

It struck me that we take most things for granted, internet, telephones, air travel. It is when one reads or studies the origins of these world changing innovations, you meet people who have followed their dreams often at the cost of their lives. The early aviation pioneers especially. In home made contraptions that could only be tested for real in the field, and when you see these early prototypes, you cannot but admire their courage and convictions.

However I came across one display which showed the concept of the fixed wing glider at its early stages and was understood at a basic level. It went on to explain that designers insistence that the wings need to mimic those of a bird in flight probably delayed the development of aeronautical understanding by 50 years. The flapping wing became the accepted view of the way forward. Obviously the development of the internal combustion engine enabled the advancement of the science, but even then the majority insisted on the flapping wing as the way forward.

I am glad they didn’t succeed, imagine a 747 with flapping wings?…..maybe best not to.

Share This